Funeral of the former Formula 1 driver
2000 people say goodbye to Zanardi
May 5, 2026 – 2:47 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Alex Zanardi’s funeral is attended by 2,000 people. Among the mourners there are many prominent names from sports and politics.
On Tuesday, around 2,000 people said goodbye to Alex Zanardi in the Basilica of Santa Giustina in Padua. The former Formula 1 driver and four-time Paralympic champion died unexpectedly on May 1st at the age of 59.
Zanardi’s wife Daniela and his son Niccolo stood at the coffin. Among the mourners were the Italian Sports Minister Andrea Abodi, Formula 1 managing director Stefano Domenicali and ski legend Alberto Tomba, who like Zanardi comes from Bologna.
Priest Marco Pozza presided over the funeral mass. He quoted a letter from Pope Francis from 2020 in which the pontiff praised Zanardi’s courage to live and role model.
From 1991 to 1999 Zanardi drove in Formula 1 – for Jordan, Minardi, Lotus and Williams. At Williams he was a teammate of Ralf Schumacher. On September 15, 2001, he lost both legs after a racing accident in the Champ Car Series in Lausitz. He started a second sports career with the handbike and won four gold medals at the Paralympic Games. During a handbike race in June 2020, Zanardi had another serious accident when he collided with a truck. Zanardi never recovered from this. He had been living in a care facility in Padua for three years.
