Alex Zanardi, CART Champion, Former F1 Driver, and Paralympic Gold Medalist, Dies at 59

Zanardi moved back to F1 for a brief stint with Williams, only to return to CART with Mo Nunn Racing in 2001. His return season was cut short by a harrowing crash at the Lausitzring late in the year. Another driver struck the side of his car's nose, shearing off a portion of the car and leading Zanardi to lose parts of both legs. Despite losing a massive amount of blood, he survived.

Not only that, he raced again.

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Just two years later, Zanardi was back in a CART racer for a ceremonial running of the laps he did not finish after his crash. With prosthetic legs and hand controls, he was able to race for another 17 years in touring cars, GT cars, and even two DTM races.

By 2005, he was a World Touring Car Championship race winner with BMW. He also finished third in the European Touring Car Championship and won a domestic touring car series in Italy that year. He stopped racing touring cars after 2009, but he ran GT cars throughout the 2010s and won a domestic race in Italy with BMW in 2016.

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He ran just two DTM races in his career, both on the same weekend in 2018. In the second of those two races, he finished fifth of 19 competitors. All other entrants in the race were full-timers in the series that year.

In 2019, he made his debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona in a factory BMW GTLM racer. Using removable hand controls, he was able to drive the same car as three other BMW factory drivers using a more conventional pedal setup.

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Outside of car racing, Zanardi quickly proved to be a powerhouse in handcycling. He finished 4th in his class at the 2007 New York City Marathon, his first competitive event on a handcycle. He won that race in 2011, and by 2012, he was a Paralympian for Italy. He won four golds over two Paralympic cycles. He also ran triathlons, competing in a wheelchair for the running sections.

In June of 2020, he faced a serious crash for a second time. He was struck by an oncoming truck during a handcycle race in Italy, leaving him with serious injuries. By December of that year, he had his sight back. A year later, he was able to return home.

Tributes for Zanardi have been shared widely following the news of his death.

"No words can express my feelings about this guy," Chip Ganassi wrote on X.

"Italy loses 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 truly exceptional," said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. "With his sporting achievements, with his example, and with his humanity, he gave all of us much more than a victory: he gave hope, pride, and the strength to never give up."

"I am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend Alex Zanardi," said Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali. "He was truly an inspirational person, as a human and as an athlete. I will always carry with me his extraordinary strength. He faced challenges that would have stopped anyone, yet he continued to look forward, always with a smile and a stubborn determination that inspired us all. While his loss is profoundly felt, his legacy remains strong."

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