Former Formula One driver and Paralympic champion Alessandro ‘Alex’ Zanardi has died at the age of 59, his family said in a statement on Saturday.
The Italian lost both legs in a car racing accident at the Lausitzring circuit in Germany in 2001.
He then took up para-cycling and won four gold medals and two silver medals in hand-cycling at the Paralympics.
Zanardi had competed in more than 40 Formula One races between 1991 and 1999. He drove for Lotus and Williams among others where he was a team-mate of Ralf Schumacher. He scored one solitary point.
His family did not provide details about the cause of death. They said Zanardi died suddenly on Friday evening.
“Alex fell asleep peacefully, surrounded by the affection of his loved ones,” their statement said.
After his Formula One career ended, he suffered the life-changing accident after a pit-stop during a CART series race at the Lausitzring. His legs had to be amputated.
He later enjoyed success in cycling at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London and the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Italian PM Meloni leads tributes
In 2020 in another accident, he lost control of his hand-bike during a charity race in Tuscany and collided with a lorry. He suffered severe head and facial injuries and his life was in danger for some time.
Six years later and his death prompted heartfelt reactions across the world.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid tribute to Zanardi as an “extraordinary man who was able to turn every test in life into a lesson in courage, strength and dignity.
“With his sporting achievements, his example and his humanity, he gave all of us far more than just a victory: he gave us hope, pride and the strength never to give up.”
The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) asked all sporting bodies in the country to hold a minute’s silence for Zanardi at events this weekend.
Italian sport was full of tributes, including from Serie A leaders Inter: “FC Internazionale Milano joins the mourning of the sporting world after the passing of Alex Zanardi, a motorsport and Paralympic champion, and stands in solidarity with the family in this moment of grief.”
Formula One president Stefano Domenicali, an Italian and friend of Zanardi, said in a statement: “I 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.”
F1’s governing body the FIA said in a statement, “The 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’s most admired competitors and an enduring symbol of courage and determination.”