Alessandro Zanardi, a well-known motorsport driver and Paralympic champion, passed away at the age of 59.

Alessandro Zanardi, a renowned motorsport driver and Paralympic champion, passed away on May 1 at the age of 59, surrounded by family. Seriously injured in 2020 in a handbike incident, Zanardi underwent multiple surgeries after being hit by a truck.

He was a prominent name in Formula 1 between 1991 and 1999, racing for teams such as Jordan, Minardi, Lotus, and Williams, but achieved his greatest successes in the United States, becoming a two-time CART champion. In 2001, he suffered a serious accident that cost him both legs, but he successfully returned to sports, becoming a Paralympic athlete.

At the Paralympic Games in 2012 and 2016, he won four gold medals and two silver. Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, described him as an example of courage and determination, inspiring millions of people with his life story.