Ex-F1 driver and Paralympic champion Zanardi dies
Former Formula 1 driver and Paralympic champion Alex Zanardi has died at the age of 59, the family announced. He lost both legs in a 2001 racing accident but went on to win four Paralympic gold medals in handcycling. Tributes have poured in from across the sporting world, praising his courage and determination.
- ▪Alex Zanardi died at the age of 59, with his family announcing his passing occurred suddenly on 1 May.
- ▪He lost both legs in a 2001 Champ Car accident at Lausitzring but returned to win four Paralympic gold medals.
- ▪Zanardi won the H4 time trial and road race at London 2012 and gold in the H5 time trial and relay at Rio 2016.
- ▪He was a 12-time world champion in para-cycling and won the New York marathon para-cycling race in 2011.
- ▪The FIA, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the International Paralympic Committee all paid tribute to his legacy.
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Ex-F1 driver and Paralympic champion Zanardi diesImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Zanardi became a four-time Paralympic gold medal winner ByMandeep SangheraBBC Sport journalistPublished3 hours agoFormer Formula 1 driver and Paralympic champion Alex Zanardi has died at the age of 59.The Italian had both his legs amputated after an accident in a race in the US-based Champ Car championship at Germany's Lausitzring in 2001.He raced for Jordan, Minardi and Lotus in F1 in the early 1990s before switching to the Cart championship in the United States, winning the series in 1997 and 1998, before returning to F1 for the 1999 season with Williams.
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