{"id":643069,"date":"2026-05-02T13:20:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T13:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/643069\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T13:20:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T13:20:10","slug":"alex-zanardi-former-f1-driver-and-paralympic-champion-dies-at-59-formula-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/643069\/","title":{"rendered":"Alex Zanardi, former F1 driver and Paralympic champion, dies at 59 | Formula One"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alex Zanardi, the former Formula One<\/a> driver who lost both legs in a racing crash and went on to win Paralympic gold medals, has died at the age of 59, his family said on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Zanardi, from Bologna, made his F1 debut in 1991 and later achieved success in the Cart series in the United States, winning back-to-back championships in 1997 and 1998. His life took a dramatic turn in September 2001 when he was involved in a high-speed crash during a Cart race in Germany that led to the amputation of both legs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Zanardi refused to end his sporting career<\/a> and instead turned to para-cycling, becoming one of Italy\u2019s most successful Paralympic athletes. He won four gold medals and two silver medals across the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is with deep sorrow that the family announces the passing of Alessandro Zanardi, which occurred suddenly yesterday evening, 1 May,\u201d his family said in a statement. \u201cAlex passed away peacefully, surrounded by the love of his family and friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to all those who are showing their support at this time and asks that their grief and privacy be respected during this period of mourning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stefano Domenicali, F1 president, said in a statement: \u201cI am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend Alex Zanardi. 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile his loss is profoundly felt, his legacy remains strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alex Zanardi competes in the mixed H 1-4 relay at the 2012 London Paralympic Games. Photograph: Gareth Copley\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Zanardi also claimed multiple world championship titles in para-cycling and became a powerful advocate for athletes with disabilities. His life took another blow in 2020 when he was seriously injured after being struck by a truck<\/a> while competing in a charity para-cycling relay in Tuscany. He sustained serious head injuries and spent years undergoing treatment.<\/p>\n

The FIA, motor sports\u2019 global body, paid tribute to the Italian, posting on X<\/a>: \u201cThe 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\u2019s most admired competitors and an enduring symbol of courage and determination.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, hailed Zanardi as \u201ca great champion and an extraordinary man, capable of turning every trial of life into a lesson in courage, strength and dignity\u201d. Cordiano Dagnoni, head of the Italian Cycling Federation, said he \u201ctransformed the culture of our country, bringing joy and happiness to those fortunate enough to know him, and hope to so many in Italy and around the world\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Italian Olympic Committee called for a minute\u2019s silence at all sports events in Italy over the weekend in his honour. \u201cWe\u2019ve lost a great champion and a great man, who was capable of bouncing back multiple times when faced with life\u2019s difficulties,\u201d the Coni president, Luciano Buonfiglio, said.<\/p>\n

Zanardi, born in Bologna on October 23, 1966, leaves his wife Daniela and son Niccolo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alex Zanardi, the former Formula One driver who lost both legs in a racing crash and went on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":643070,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[49,48,578,576,577,82],"class_list":["post-643069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=643069"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643069\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/643070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=643069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=643069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=643069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}