Racing legend Alex Zanardi dies aged 59
Motorsport legend Alex Zanardi has passed away aged 59.
Zanardi passed "suddenly" but "peacefully" on Thursday, May 1, according to a statement released by his family.
One of the defining single-seater drivers of the 1990s, Zanardi raced for two seasons in Formula 1 with Team Lotus (after a handful of appearances with Jordan and Minardi) before - as the outfit ceased to exist - switching his attention to the American open-wheel scene.
He was a near-instant sensation in CART/Indy Car, fighting for the championship in his first season in 1996 - which also included one of the most famous overtakes in motor racing history, the last-lap move on Bryan Herta for the win through Laguna Seca's Corkscrew.
Back-to-back titles followed the next two seasons, the 1998 crown particularly dominant and enabling a return to F1 with the Williams team - but Williams, running the rebadged Supertec (Renault) engine, struggled in his return year and Zanardi was well adrift of team-mate Ralf Schumacher.
His contract with Williams was terminated early, and in 2001 he made an ill-fated return to CART, suffering life-changing injuries in a crash at Lausitz - as both of his legs had to be amputated.
This was not the end of his racing career and racing success, however. After rehab he returned to full-time racing, winning the Italian touring car title and several races in World Touring Cars. As recently as 2018 and 2019 he raced in the DTM and the Daytona 24 Hours, with top-10 finishes in both.
He also became very involved in handcycling competition, winning four gold medals at the Paralympic Games across 2012 (London) and 2016 (Rio de Janeiro).
Another severe accident, this time during a handcycling road race, left him with serious head injuries in 2020. After lengthy medical treatment he returned home well over a year later - but he remained out of public eye until his passing this Friday.
