MOSCOW -- Formula One team Marussia announced the hiring of a female test driver for the 2012 season.
Maria de Villota will have a chance to try the Russian team's current car, the MR01, as the lone women at the Abu Dhabi rookie test in November, Speed.tv reported.
The 32-year-old Spaniard, whose father Emilio competed in F1, gained some mileage with Lotus Renault GP in August last year, driving a year-old car at the Paul Ricard circuit in France.
On teaming up with Marussia, Villota said, "This is a fantastic opportunity to work closely with a Formula One team and gain important experience to help me progress my career, including the chance to drive the new car later in the year at the Abu Dhabi test."
Five women have made it to the F1 grid, though not since Italian Giovanna Amati in 1992.
Villota, who has raced in the Spanish F3 and the Daytona 24 Hours, said she aspires to becoming the sixth.
"I will be joining [the Marussia] team trackside, so I'm looking forward to working alongside them at the first race next weekend, and this can only help my future ambition to step up to Formula One racing," she said.
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