The world of motorsport has paid tribute to Nathalie Maillet, an ex-race car driver and the chief executive of Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps track, who has died aged 61.

According to Belgian reports, Maillet and another woman were shot by her husband Franz Dubois in a double murder-suicide on Sunday in the region of Gouvy.

A police statement said the “lifeless” bodies of two women and a man were discovered with gunshot wounds.

We are deeply saddened by the awful news that our friend Nathalie Maillet has died. The whole of Formula 1 sends its deepest condolences to her family and friends. The motorsport community has lost an incredible person and we will all miss her greatly.

“The male would have deliberately used his weapon against the two women, among whom was his wife, resulting in their death before killing himself,” the statement said.

The former race car driver was appointed as the chief executive of the track, which held its first Grand Prix in 1925, in 2016 and oversaw its modernisation.

The track’s chairman, Melchior Wathelet, said: “My thoughts are with Nathalie’s family, her parents, relatives and teams.

“Today we are losing a very great lady, a motorsports lover and enthusiast, a true leader who will be sorely missed.

“Nathalie had become the face of the circuit, she embodied this passion for racing that we all share.”

Maillet was a latecomer to motor racing, enrolling in racing school aged 33 – after studying architecture at the University of London.

The thoughts of everybody at Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team are with the grieving family and friends of Nathalie Maillet.

Nathalie was CEO at Circuit de Spa Francorchamps and a highly respected figure in the sport.

Her loss will be felt by the entire motorsport community. 💚 https://t.co/GokEfSaY0Y

She won her first Fun Cup in 2006 and was runner up in the Roadster Cup in the same year.

The FIA, motor racing’s governing body, also paid tribute to Maillet, saying in a statement that it had been “saddened to learn of the tragic death”.

The next F1 race on the calendar is scheduled to take place at Maillet’s track in Belgium on 29 August.

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