Alex Zanardi will never end

The loss of Alex Zanardi, who passed away on May 1st at the age of 59, is a shared mourning. A mourning that has gone beyond motorsport, that has gone beyond sport, that has gone beyond Italy. And it is so thanks to the profound values ​​that Zanardi transmitted, always in a stubborn and contrary direction to destiny. What were the chances that the son of a plumber and a seamstress from Castel Maggiore could make it to Formula 1? How many Italians before him had won in Formula CART in America? Not even the tragic accident at the Lausitzring could stop him. He responded, becoming an inspiration for those affected by disabilities and beyond. He loved life even more, he underlined how much he considered himself a lucky man to have been able to live his passions. Getting back up, every time. As long as you have the strength, tirelessly, because there is always a reason to look around and find a motivation not to give up. Zanardi urged us to ask ourselves what could still be done, rather than letting ourselves be dragged down by the things that could no longer be done. And he demonstrated it to us practically. After the accident, Zanardi returned to the Lausitzring in 2003, to symbolically complete those 13 laps that were missing in the race interrupted two years earlier, with a car with adapted controls. In 2005 he won in the WTCC at Oschersleben, the first disabled driver in history and triumphed in the Italian super touring championship. In 2006 he toured Valencia with a BMW-Sauber F1. He still raced in the DTM, took part in the 24 Hours of Daytona. He became a television presenter for Sfide, on Raitre, and who better than him. Then the handbike built with Dallara: 4 gold medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, another 4 at Rio 2016, 12 titles at the road world championships. That handbike that in 2020 on the streets of Pienza pressed the stop button on him. The fate that has raged, again. But Alex still resisted, almost 6 years. His spiritual imprint remains very strong: let’s free the mind from the limits we impose on ourselves. Let’s love this life anyway, because the future can always be colorful. Maybe with different, new colors. And it’s never over. And Alex Zanardi will never end.

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News
2026-05-02 22:20:00