Former F1 star who won Paralympic gold after losing his legs dies aged 59
Ahead of F1’s return this weekend with the Miami GP, the sport was left to come to terms with the death of one of its most inspirational stars
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Alex Zanardi has passed away at the age of 59 years old(Image: Mauro Ujetto/NurPhoto)
Former F1 hero turned Paralympic icon Alex Zanardi has passed away aged 59 years old. In the 1990s, Zanardi competed in F1 for Jordan, Minardi, Lotus, and Williams between 1991 and 1999 and was also a regular in the CART Championship for Chip Ganassi.
His driving career was ended in September 2001 at the Lausitzring in Germany when a horrific 200mph accident saw him slide onto the oval before being hit side-on by Alex Tagliani, a crash which resulted in him having both of his legs amputated. As well as losing both of his legs, he also lost 75% of his blood, suffered a broken pelvis and was also placed into an induced coma.
Zanardi woke up five days later but immediately looked to return to racing in one way or another. In 2003, he returned to the Lausitzring to complete the final laps he did not finish on that fateful day in 2001.
In 2006, he was behind the wheel of a BMW Sauber F1 car in Valencia and also drove a modified BMW M8 in 2019, when he competed in the Daytona 24 hours. Eventually, he turned his back on motorsport and turned to handcycling in the Paralympic Games.
At the London 2012 Olympic Games, he won two gold medals in the H4 class road time trial and individual road race, with the first taking place at iconic motorsport venue Brands Hatch. In the 2016 Rio de Janeiro games, he struck gold again, this time in the H5 road time trial event and the H2-5 mixed team relay.
In both the London and Rio games, he also picked up a silver medal. However, in 2020, he had not been seen publicly since another accident, which saw his hand-bike collide with a truck in his native Italy.
He was racing in a charity relay in Tuscany, when he lost control of his bike and had a collision with a truck. Zanardi received treatment for more than a year, but, in similar circumstances to Michael Schumacher in the aftermath of his skiing accident, his family kept news of his recovery strictly confidential.
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Zanardi won four Paralympic gold medals(Image: 2012 Getty Images)
After his death was confirmed, a statement from his family was released on social media. It read: “It is with deep sorrow that the family announces the passing of Alessandro Zanardi, which occurred suddenly on the evening of yesterday, May 1.
“Alex passed away peacefully, surrounded by the love of his family. The family sincerely thanks everyone who has shown support in these hours and asks for respect for their grief and privacy at this time of mourning. Information regarding the funeral will be shared at a later date.”
The FIA also released a statement of their own, paying tribute to the former F1 star. It read: “The FIA is saddened to learn of the passing of Alex Zanardi, the former Formula 1 driver, two-time CART champion whose journey from life-changing accident to Paralympics gold medallist made him one of sport’s most admired competitors and an enduring symbol of courage and determination.”
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Zanardi was a former team-mate of Ralf Schumacher(Image: Photo by Steve Etherington/LAT Images)
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni also wrote: “Italy has lost a great champion and an extraordinary man, capable of turning every trial of life into a lesson in courage, strength, and dignity. Alex Zanardi knew how to get back in the game every time, facing even the toughest challenges with determination, clarity, and a strength of spirit that was out of the ordinary.
“With his sporting achievements, with his example, and with his humanity, he gave us all much more than a victory: he gave hope, pride, and the strength never to give up. On behalf of myself and the Government, I extend my heartfelt thoughts and the sincerest closeness to his family and to all those who loved him. Thank you for everything, Alex.”
