Zanardi Alessandro(Italy, 23/10/1966)

Alessandro Zanardi, born on 23 October 1966 in Bologna (Italy), is a former Italian racing driver and Paralympic athlete, one of the most emblematic and recognised figures of world motorsport and sport in general, with a career marked by success, dramatic accidents and extraordinary resilience.

Zanardi’s beginnings took place in karting during the 1980s, before moving to single-seaters. After experiences in Formula 3 and Formula 3000, he entered Formula 1 in the early 1990s. He debuted in 1991 with Jordan, immediately achieving a strong fourth place at the Canadian Grand Prix. During his world championship career he also raced with Minardi, Lotus and Williams, without managing to find continuity in a frequently unstable technical context. His Formula 1 period ended in 1999, a difficult season with Williams.

His true sporting consecration came in the United States, in the CART championship. With Chip Ganassi Racing, Zanardi became one of the most dominant drivers in the category: he won the title in 1997 and 1998, imposing himself through talent, aggressiveness and spectacle, and gaining an enormous following. Famous is the overtake at the “Hairpin” at Laguna Seca in 1996, considered one of the most iconic in motorsport history.

On 15 September 2001 his sporting career suffered a dramatic turning point. During a CART race at the Lausitzring in Germany, Zanardi was the victim of an extremely violent accident that led to the amputation of both legs. The episode marked a watershed not only in his life, but in the entire world of sport. After a long rehabilitation, Alessandro Zanardi decided to return to competition, embarking on a completely new path.

From 2004 he dedicated himself with growing success to para-cycling, specialising in the handbike. Within a few years he became one of the world’s reference athletes: he won numerous medals at World Championships and at the Paralympics, claiming four Paralympic gold medals between London 2012 and Rio 2016. His approach to sport, based on method, meticulous preparation and competitive spirit, made him a symbol of excellence even outside motorsport.

At the same time, Zanardi maintained a link with motorsport, taking part in demonstration events and touring car competitions. Between 2014 and 2015 he competed in the Italian Touring Endurance Championship and the WTCC with an adapted BMW, once again demonstrating the possibility of competing at a high level despite physical limitations.

On 19 June 2020 a further, extremely serious accident occurred during a charity handbike relay on the roads of Tuscany. Zanardi was involved in a head-on collision with a heavy vehicle, sustaining extremely severe cranial and facial injuries. He underwent numerous surgical operations and a long period of medically induced coma. His condition required complex and prolonged rehabilitation.

In the years following the 2020 accident, official information released by the family and medical facilities spoke of a slow and gradual recovery process, conducted with the utmost discretion. Alessandro Zanardi was transferred several times to specialised centres for neurological rehabilitation, showing responses to stimuli, but without detailed and continuous updates on his clinical condition, in respect of privacy.

Married to Daniela and father of a son, Zanardi has become far more than a former driver: he is a universal symbol of determination, mental strength and the ability to reinvent oneself in the face of adversity. His story continues to represent one of the deepest and most significant human and sporting narratives of the modern era, well beyond the results and victories achieved on track or on the road.

GP Results

GP/Points Graph

Year	Team	Chassis	Points
1999	Williams	FW21	0

* World Championships with at least 1 point won (since 2001)

Year	Team	Teammate	Win
Total			0 VS 0

Grand Prix	Team	Chassis	Pos.
Malaysian GP 1999	Winfield Williams	FW21	10
Italian GP 1999	Winfield Williams	FW21	7
Belgian GP 1999	Winfield Williams	FW21	8
Monaco GP 1999	Winfield Williams	FW21	8

* Grand prix finishes in the top 10 (since 2001)

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