The Bologna-born champion, CART winner and Paralympic legend, passed away on 1 May, almost six years after the devastating accident that occurred while he was taking part in a handbike relay event on the roads of Tuscany. The world of sport is mourning a truly versatile champion and a man widely loved by everyone.
A wide smile, dimples on his cheeks and those narrow, expressive eyes. If we close our eyes, Alex Zanardi cannot help but come to mind like that. And of course, also wearing a racing suit. Whether it was his Formula 1 outfit, the Ganassi suit, or his Italian handbike kit, it makes little difference. Whether he had four wheels beneath him or three, it matters even less. Because people like him – to paraphrase a famous New Jersey singer-songwriter – for better or worse, are born to race.
Alex Zanardi is no longer with us. It feels strange to say it. Even if, undoubtedly, it hurts even more to imagine it and accept reality. He passed away on a spring day, when colours, scents and the promise of the approaching summer explode with inevitable intensity. A day that is not ordinary, because 1 May in motorsport has not been just another date since 1994. And now, even less so.
But what is truly extraordinary is the story of a boy from Bologna, born in 1966 and raised in Castel Maggiore, in the Emilia-Romagna plain. Close to the regional capital, yes, but still a modest town, a small centre in a provincial setting. Yet in places like this, where “nothing happens and therefore everything happens,” the province has always produced remarkable stories.
His first karting laps came at the age of 14, followed by a rapid rise through single-seaters. In 1988 he competed in Italian F3, in 1991 he moved to Formula 3000, and in the same year came his first taste of Formula 1 with Jordan. He debuted at the Spanish Grand Prix, finishing ninth, repeating the result in Australia. The following year he raced with Minardi for a few events and then with Lotus between 1993 and 1994.
“America is far away, on the other side of the moon,” said Lucio Dalla, another son of Bologna. But the American dream would define Alex Zanardi’s career. In 1995 he signed with Ganassi and began his legendary journey in the United States, winning two CART titles (now IndyCar). It was also in this category that he faced the first, enormous turning point of his life.
On 15 September 2001, at the Lausitzring, with 13 laps remaining, Alex Zanardi lost control of his car exiting the pit lane due to fluid on the track. The car crossed the circuit after a spin and was hit by Alex Tagliani’s car. In the impact, the Bologna-born driver lost both legs. His condition immediately appeared critical and, despite the extremely high risk of death due to massive blood loss, he survived.
At the Berlin hospital where he was admitted in critical condition, he even received the last rites from the IndyCar chaplain, but Alex held on. Six weeks in hospital, 15 surgeries: Zanardi eventually returned home to begin rehabilitation. A miracle. Or perhaps simply the will not to give up, not to surrender. Traits that had always been part of the Castel Maggiore driver’s character, along with his sense of humour.
That same humour he showed at the Autosprint Caschi d’Oro ceremony, when just weeks after the Lausitzring accident he stood up from his wheelchair on stage and said: “It’s been a long time since I felt this emotional. I’m so emotional my legs are shaking.” It was a moment of tears, laughter and applause for a man in a grey suit who, through his eyes alone, communicated everything words could not.
From that moment on, a new life began, a new career. Still involving racing wheels, of course. He returned to touring cars in the World Touring Car Championship, but it was handcycling that truly became his focus. The New York Marathon followed, then World Championships, and the Paralympic Games in London, where he won two gold medals and one silver. Another triumph. When Alex Zanardi decided something suited him, there was little anyone could do to stop him.
Then life took another dramatic turn. On 19 June 2020, while taking part in one of the stages of the “Obiettivo 3” relay, a project involving Paralympic handbike athletes, Zanardi lost control of his bike and entered the opposite lane just as a truck was approaching. The unavoidable impact caused severe injuries to the former driver.
His subsequent hospitalisation at the Santa Maria alle Scotte University Hospital in Siena was crucial in stabilising his condition. He underwent several delicate surgeries and was later transferred to Padua Hospital. At the end of December 2021 he returned home, although not permanently. He first underwent a rehabilitation cycle in Ravenna before returning home definitively at the end of September 2022. From that point on, there was a long and understandable silence about his condition, until today’s tragic news of his passing at the age of 59. And all of us, stunned, silently asking whether it is all real, whether it makes sense, and if so, what that meaning might be.
“It is with profound sorrow that the family announces the passing of Alessandro Zanardi, which occurred suddenly on the evening of 1 May,” read the statement released by Alex Zanardi’s family on the social media pages of Obiettivo 3.
“Alex passed away peacefully, surrounded by the love of his family. The family warmly thanks all those who have shown support in these hours and asks for respect for their grief and privacy during this time of mourning. Information regarding the funeral will be communicated at a later date.”
They say that reading many books allows a person to live thousands of different lives in one. But if there is one man who managed to embody this idea without being lost among countless pages, it was Alessandro Zanardi. He did so with strength, with courage, and yes, also with pain. But always showing that smile so many of us loved, and which all those who followed his achievements and drew strength from his example will always remember.
Sometimes small gestures change entire days. Sometimes they change lives.
And we are certain that Alex, through his courage and his extraordinary achievements, changed many of them.
But… Zanardi from Castel Maggiore…
Ciao Alex
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