Alex Zanardi is dead.
Alex Zanardi died at the age of 59. PDO
Former racing car driver and Paralympic champion Alex Zanardi59, has died. The matter is confirmed by the Zanardi family on Instagram.
– With deep sadness, the family announces the death of Alessandro Zanardi, which happened unexpectedly last night, May 1. Alex slept peacefully, surrounded by the love of his family and friends, the release states.
– The family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to everyone who shows their support in this difficult situation, and asks that their grief and privacy be respected during the time of mourning.
Zanardi is especially remembered for the Formula 1 series and his later career as a Paralympic athlete. He debuted in the F1 series in 1991 in the Jordan team, where he drove three races. The following year, he worked as Minard’s test driver and also participated in three races as a race driver.
In 1993–1994, he drove Lotus. He scored his first and only F1 point in his career in the Brazilian race in 1993.
After some difficult years in F1, Zanardi moved to the British standard car series and in 1996 progressed to the American CART series, where he achieved significant success. He returned to the Formula 1 series in 1999 in the Williams team, but remained without World Championship points during the season.
In 2001, Zanardi had a serious accident in Germany in a CART series race. He lost both his legs as a result of the accident.
After the accident, he started handcycling and quickly rose to the top of his sport. He won four Paralympic golds in his career: two in London in 2012 and two in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. He also has two Paralympic silvers.
In 2020, Zanardi had another serious accident when he got hit by a truck during a handwheel race. He suffered serious head injuries and was induced into a coma. Zanardi was finally transferred to home care at the end of 2021.
Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni sent his condolences on X.
– Italy is losing a great champion and an exceptional man who was able to turn every trial of life into a lesson of courage, strength and dignity, Meloni wrote, among other things.
