ROME: Alex Zanardi, the Italian Formula One driver who became a Paralympic champion after losing both legs in an accident, has died aged 59, his family announced Saturday.&nbsp;Zanardi was one of his country&#39;s most loved and respected sportsmen, credited with helping transform the perception of disability in Italy.&nbsp;In a statement issued through the charity he founded, Obiettivo3, his family said he died &quot;suddenly&quot; on Friday evening, without giving any further details.&nbsp;But they said he died &quot;peacefully, surrounded by the love of his family and friends&quot;.&nbsp;Zanardi had both his legs amputated in a motor racing accident in 2001, but went on to become a Paralympic champion with his handbike, winning four gold medals.&nbsp;He had been out of the public eye since a second horror crash in June 2020, when his handbike crashed into an oncoming truck during a race in Tuscany.&nbsp;Zanardi, who was married with a son, suffered serious head injuries and only returned home 18 months later.&nbsp;&quot;Alex was a pioneer, icon and legend of the Paralympic Movement,&quot; a spokesman for the International Paralympic Committee said.&nbsp;&quot;His performances were truly out of this world, engaged new fans to the Games, and showed the world that anything is possible.&nbsp;&quot;The iconic picture of him raising his handcycle above his head in victory at London 2012 will go down in history as one of the great sporting images.&nbsp;&quot;He will be remembered forever.&quot;&nbsp;Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said that what Zanardi achieved after his accident was even more impressive than his not insignificant skills behind the wheel.&nbsp;&quot;Adversity can be overcome with humility, humour and optimism,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;In motor racing, we talk a lot about courage. Every now and then, you meet someone who truly defines what that means. Alex Zanardi was that person.&quot;&nbsp;Half that remainedZanardi raced for Jordan, Minardi and Lotus in F1 in the early 1990s before switching to the CART championship in the United States, where he was series champion in 1997 and 1998.&nbsp;He returned to F1 with Williams in 1999 before heading back to CART.&nbsp;But then came the horrific accident in 2001 at the Lausitzring track in Germany.&nbsp;His car stalled in the middle of the track after a spin and was struck by another car at a speed of over 300 km/h (186 mph).&nbsp;The impact tore off his two legs, and Zanardi lost a lot of blood, with a chaplain giving him the last rites.&nbsp;His heart stopped beating several times, and he underwent 15 operations in a Berlin hospital.&nbsp;&quot;When I woke up, I didn&#39;t think about my legs. I thought about the half of me that remained,&quot; Zanardi recalled.&nbsp;Just three months later, the Italian made his first public appearance in his hometown of Bologna during an award ceremony.&nbsp;&quot;What emotion, my legs are trembling,&quot; he said.&nbsp;Courage and determinationAfter a few years driving in specially-adapted cars, Zanardi went on to become an icon for disabled athletes competing on his handbike.&nbsp;He won two gold medals at the 2012 London Games and two more in Rio de Janeiro, four years later.&nbsp;He also won the Rome marathon in 2010 and New York the following year, relying on what he described as his &quot;five-seconds rule&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;When you have given everything, go on for five seconds. This is where the others can&#39;t do it anymore,&quot; he said.&nbsp;He wrote several books, presented television shows and performed a voiceover for the Italian version of the animated film &quot;Cars&quot;.&nbsp;Through his charity and his advocacy work, Zanardi encouraged countless other disabled athletes.&nbsp;The FIA, motorsport&#39;s governing body, said he was &quot;an enduring symbol of courage and determination&quot;.&nbsp;Cordiano Dagnoni, head of the Italian Cycling Federation, said he &quot;transformed the culture of our country, bringing joy and happiness to those fortunate enough to know him, and hope to so many in Italy and around the world&quot;.&nbsp;He said a minute&#39;s silence would be observed at this weekend&#39;s races in tribute.&nbsp;On X, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed Zanardi as &quot;a great champion and an extraordinary man, capable of turning every trial of life into a lesson in courage, strength and dignity&quot;.

Racing

Alex Zanardi, ex-Formula One driver turned Paralympic icon, dies aged 59. After losing both legs in 2001 crash, he won four gold medals and inspired millions with resilience, courage, and advocacy for disability rights.

Former F1 driver turned Paralympic legend Zanardi dies

SUZUKA:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/verstappen-wins-qatar-gp-to-set-up-final-race-title-showdown" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Max Verstappen</a>&nbsp;says that the Japanese Grand Prix is one of his favorite races, but his chances of a fifth straight victory at the weekend look vanishingly slim as his Red Bull struggles with Formula One&#39;s sweeping new regulations. Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will carry their early dominance into Suzuka, with Ferrari&#39;s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton their nearest challengers. Red Bull and Verstappen are scrambling to recover from a disastrous start to the Formula One season, as is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/george-russell-wins-singapore-grand-prix-mclaren-take-constructors-title" target="_blank">McLaren,</a>&nbsp;whose drivers &ndash; world champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri &ndash; both failed to start in China with separate technical problems. Verstappen, the four-time world champion, finished sixth in the opening grand prix in Australia after crashing in qualifying. He then limped home ninth and out of the points in the Shanghai sprint before retiring from the main race. Verstappen has raged against the 2026 regulations and new car designs, branding them &quot;anti-racing&quot; and likening them to the Mario Kart video game with their electrical boost and overtake modes. The Dutchman sought a change of scenery by competing at a four-hour race in Germany last weekend, but even that did not lift his gloom as he was disqualified after winning. Verstappen has been unbeaten in Japan for the past four years and he clinched his second world title there in 2022. His problems in China, where he was ordered to retire on lap 46 of the grand prix because of a cooling issue, suggest his Suzuka dominance could end on Sunday. &quot;Getting on top of our problems is not easy,&quot; Verstappen said in Shanghai. &quot;It would help if we would just have a normal start &ndash; I&#39;ve been every time dropping to last.&quot; Antonelli breakthrough Verstappen&#39;s struggles are in stark contrast to the flying start enjoyed by Mercedes, which secured one-two finishes at both grands prix so far. Championship leader Russell triumphed in Australia, and 19-year-old Antonelli picked up the first win of his fledgling career in China. Russell took the chequered flag in the Shanghai sprint, and Mercedes will target a Suzuka triumph for the first time since Valtteri Bottas won in 2019. Antonelli, who became the youngest pole-sitter in Formula One history in Shanghai and the second-youngest race winner after Verstappen, was given a hero&#39;s welcome when he returned to his native Bologna in Italy. The win had &quot;removed a bit of weight from my shoulders&quot;, said Antonellii. &quot;It&#39;s the kind of result which gives you strength and more awareness of what you can do.&quot; McLaren have endured a nightmare start to the campaign under the new regulations, which require battery management and energy harvesting with a 50-50 split between conventional and electrical power. Defending champion Norris, who complained his car &quot;sucks&quot;, is 36 points behind Russell while&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/titlechasing-piastri-takes-pole-for-qatar-grand-prix" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Piastri</a>&nbsp;is yet to take part in a grand prix this season after he crashed on his way to the grid in Melbourne. &quot;We just have to take it on the chin, learn what the problem was and make sure it never happens again,&quot; Norris said in Shanghai. &quot;All of us want to go racing and score points.&quot; The teams will have time to regroup after Suzuka, as there will be a five-week gap until the Miami GP, as the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races were cancelled because of the war in the Middle East.

Winner Mercedes' Italian driver Kimi Antonelli celebrates on the podium after the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai on March 15, 2026. (AFP)

Red Bull and Verstappen are scrambling to recover from a disastrous start to the Formula One season, as are McLaren whose drivers – world champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri – both failed to start in China with separate technical problems.

Articles tagged with "Formula One"

Former F1 driver turned Paralympic legend Zanardi dies

Verstappen's Japan GP win streak under threat as Mercedes dominate