Alex Zanardi, CART champion and Paralympic gold medalist, dies at 59

The auto racing world is mourning the loss of Alex Zanardi. The Italian Formula 1 driver, who later became a Paralympic champion after two life-altering accidents, has died, his family announced Saturday. He was 59.

The family confirmed that loved ones were with Zanardi when he died. “Alex died peacefully, surrounded by the affection of those closest to him,” the family said in a statement. A cause of death was not provided.

Zanardi’s family also said that it “Thanks everyone who is sharing their support right now and asks for respect during this time of mourning.”

Zanardi suffered serious injuries in a 2020 handbike accident, colliding with an oncoming truck during a relay event in Italy. He sustained facial and cranial trauma and was placed in a medically induced coma.

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Nearly two decades earlier, Zanardi lost both of his legs in an auto racing crash.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid tribute to Zanardi in a post on X, saying in part, “Italy loses a great champion and an extraordinary man, capable of turning every challenge of life into a lesson in courage, strength, and dignity. Alex Zanardi knew how to bounce back every time, facing even the toughest challenges with determination, clarity, and a strength of spirit that was truly exceptional.”

Zanardi won back-to-back championships in CART in 1997 and 1998 in the U.S. He then briefly returned to F1.

He ultimately came back stateside, racing in Germany in a CART event in 2001 when both of his legs were severed in a horrific accident the weekend after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. CART raced only because the series was already in Germany at the time of the attacks and could not return to the U.S.

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Zanardi was left in a three-day coma following the 2001 crash.

During his recovery, Zanardi designed his own prosthetics and learned to walk again. He then turned his attention to hand cycling and developed into one of the sport’s most accomplished athletes in the world.

He won four gold medals and two silvers at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics, competed in the New York City Marathon and set an Ironman record.

Zanardi used specially adapted cars with hand controls for gas and braking to take up racing again after the 2001 accident.

Stefano Domenicali, the president and CEO of F1, said he was “deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend,” calling Zanardi “truly an inspirational person, as a human and as an athlete.”

“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,” Domenicali added. “While his loss is profoundly felt, his legacy remains strong.”

After Zanardi’s 2020 crash, Pope Francis praised him as a symbol of strength in adversity and sent a handwritten letter offering encouragement and prayers.

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Before Saturday’s F1 sprint race in Miami Gardens, Florida, a moment of silence honored Zanardi. The Italian Olympic Committee also called for a minute of silence at sporting events across Italy.

Zanardi is survived by his wife, Daniela, and son, Niccolò.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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