Alex Zanardi, the former Formula 1 driver who became a four-time Paralympic gold medalist after losing both legs in a racing accident, has died at the age of 59. His family announced his passing on May 1.

Zanardi suffered the amputation of both legs in 2001 after a crash during a Champ Car race at the Lausitzring in Germany. He had previously raced in F1 for Jordan, Minardi, and Lotus in the early 1990s, and won the CART championship in 1997 and 1998 before a brief return to F1 with Williams in 1999.

Following his injury, Zanardi took up handcycling and won two gold medals at the 2012 London Paralympics, repeating the feat at the 2016 Rio Games. He also returned to motorsport, winning four races for BMW in the World Touring Car Championship from 2005 to 2009.

Zanardi became a 12-time world champion in handcycling and won the men's para-cycling race at the New York Marathon in 2011. In 2020, he suffered severe head injuries after crashing into a truck during a road race in Tuscany.

The FIA described Zanardi as "one of sport's most admired competitors and an enduring symbol of courage and determination." F1 held a minute's silence before the Miami Grand Prix sprint race. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said Zanardi "showed that even when life challenges you, it does not have to define you."

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called him "a great champion and an extraordinary man, capable of turning every trial of life into a lesson in courage, strength, and dignity."

The International Paralympic Committee hailed Zanardi as "a pioneer, icon and legend of the Paralympic movement," noting that his iconic image of raising his handcycle above his head at London 2012 will go down in history.

Source: www.bbc.com