The incredible story of exformula 1 driver amputee alex zanardi. Alex zanardi s sporting career started with him as a formula one racecar driver, but he ended up a paralympic cyclist who completed an ironman competition. Former formula 1 driver alex zanardi is one of the most wellknown faces on the. Your goto source for the latest f1 news, video highlights, gp results, live timing, indepth analysis and expert commentary. His, of course, has been a remarkable life, from his early career in formula one and huge indycar success, to an unsuccessful return to grand prix racing, the devastating accident in 2001 in which he lost his legs and paralympic gold at the london games. Imsa alex zanardi to take the start at the rolex 24 at. Sep 06, 2012 former formula one driver alex zanardi, who lost his legs after a horrific crash in 2001, enjoyed a golden finale to his magical adventure by winning the paralympic mens individual h4. Former formula one driver alessandro zanardi on wednesday won again at a motor racing circuit by taking paralympic gold in the mens individual h4 handcycle timetrial.
Gold medals and created one of the most iconic photographs of the event. Former cart champ zanardi to compete at paralympic games. Former formula one driver alex zanardi on thursday won silver in the h5 handcycling road race at the rio paralympics, adding to his gold in the time trial the day before. The inspirational twotime champcar champion and former formula one driver, alex zanardi has accepted the invitation to address the first avanza event entitled unleash your potential which will take. The former formula one driver took the paralympic gold medal wednesday in paracycling a hand cycle powered by. London, england the london 2012 paralympic games step up another gear on day 7 as athletes compete for medals in 65 events across eight different sports. On the eve of the 15th anniversary since losing his legs in a motorsport accident, former formula 1 driver alex zanardi has won a gold medal in. Alex zanardi wins gold london 2012 paralympics daily mail. Paralympics gold for former formula one driver alex. As well as the aforementioned bmw drivers, the other big names taking their place behind the wheel include bmw m customer racing driver tyler cooke usa, sebastian priaulx gbr, son of former bmw works driver and world touring car champion andy priaulx gbr and former formula 1 driver felipe nasr bra. Have you ever sat at home watching formula 1 and thought i could do better than that when someone misses out on q3 by. Sep 05, 2012 the former formula one driver took the paralympic gold medal wednesday in paracycling a hand cycle powered by the arms at the brands hatch race track, posting a time of 24 minutes, 50. Former f1 racing driver alex zanardi wins paralympic handcycling.
The former formula 1 driver has since taken up handcycling and marathon to worldclass level. Former formula one driver alex zanardi has won his third paralympic gold medal a day before the 15th anniversary of a crash that cost him his legs. Lee mckenzie is a highly respected broadcast journalist and presenter who has covered some of the biggest news and sports events of recent times. Elsewhere, italian former formula 1 driver alex zanardi continued his dominance of paralympic handcycling by adding the h5 road time trial title to his two gold medals from london 2012 on the eve. An esports racer has beaten a former f1 driver in a real. Brands hatch former formula one driver alessandro zanardi on wednesday won again at a motor racing circuit by taking paralympic gold in the mens individual h4 handcycle timetrial.
He won the cart championship in 1997 and 1998 in north america. Zanardi, 45, lost his legs and almost died in an accident at a cart race in germany in 2001. An esports racer has beaten a former f1 driver in a realworld race. The incredible story of exformula 1 driver amputee alex. Former formula 1 driver alex zanardi winning 2 handcycling golds. Sep 15, 2016 12 things you may not have known about this years paralympic athletes. Its current sports and live events portfolio includes formula 1. A streaker, federer and others who made news in the last 24. She is best known for her work in formula one, presenting and interviewing the drivers for channel 4 and previously bbc tv. Former formula one driver alex zanardi wins gold in handcycle cbsap london alex zanardi just loves to race. Former f1 racing driver alex zanardi wins paralympic. Whisper talks up east media partnership for live events. Later, as a ferrari tester, having the option to break down the qualities and shortcomings of the formula 1.
Zanardi is a former racing driver, who won championship auto racing teams cart titles in 1997 and 1998 before signing a threeyear contract as a formula 1 driver. The 50 yr old has set an amazing example for humanity. But the twotime cart champion and former formula 1 driver is too fast for the 20 new york city marathon. Zanardis turn of speed after over two hours hand pedalling in the hot evening sun on the 64km course was remarkable as van dyk trailed home in second place with wim decleir from belgium taking bronze. Sep 05, 2012 former formula one driver alex zanardi, who lost his legs after a horrific crash in 2001, enjoyed a golden finale to his magical adventure by winning the paralympic mens individual h4. Fifteen years ago, italian racing driver alex zanardi lost both of his legs in a horrific crash during a cart race at the lausitzring in germany. Alex zanardi driver data born 23 october 1966 19661023 age 51. With his sights now set on the tokyo 2020 paralympics, he also runs a successful business as a motivational speaker and has several charities. Former formula one ace zanardi returns to brands hatch to.
London 2012 was his first paralympic games hed only been doing handcycling since 2007 and he won both the h4 road time trial and the h4 road race. Former formula one driver alex zanardi has completed his remarkable transformation from highspeed motorsport ace to paralympic champion. Zanardi is a longtime best friend of fellow driver max papis. The incredible story of ex formula 1 driver amputee alex zanardi that inspired last legs alex brookers moving speech. Italian passion to drive zanardi to pole position international paralympic committee. How formula ones driver market looks after events of the. Zanardi, who won the mens timetrial, has a chance to claim a third gold medal tomorrow in the team relay event.
Alex zanardi, the former formula one driver took the paralympic gold medal wednesday in paracycling a hand cycle powered by the arms at the brands hatch race track, posting a time of 24 minutes, 50. Sep 05, 2012 londonalex zanardi just loves to race. September 16, 2016 former champion indycar racer alex zanardi has added a silver medal to his tally at the paralympic. Former f1 driver who lost both legs, wins paralympic gold. Robert kubica completes first f1 test for williams daily. So many athletes in the paralympics have come through an incredible amount of adversity to achieve some very special goals but there was something about zanardi, an ex formula 1 driver who lost. The former formula 1 driver has since taken up handcycling and marathon. Bo, emiliaromagna, italy is a former formula one driver who competed in the. Sep 17, 2016 the incredible story of ex formula 1 driver amputee alex zanardi that inspired last legs alex brookers moving speech. Alessandro alex zanardi born 23 october 1966 in bologna, bo, emiliaromagna, italy is a former formula one driver who competed in the 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994 seasons, and made a return to the sport in 1999 scoring only one single point during the 1993 season at the race in brazil, he had a horrible crash at belgium which occured on the eau rouge corner, making him miss the rest of the. Former formula one driver alex zanardi, who lost his legs after a horrific crash in 2001, enjoyed a golden finale to his magical adventure by winning the paralympic mens individual h4. Wikimedia commons has media related to formula one drivers from australia.
Nov 01, 20 italian racecar driver alex zanardi is wellacquainted with speed. Alex zanardi puts lifethreatening champ car crash behind. Sep 16, 2016 alex zanardi is a former formula 1 racing driver who lost both his legs in a car crash. He also raced in formula one from 19911994 and again in 1999. Zanardi claimed gold in the h4 time trial at the london road cycling course, brands hatch, but it was not. The former formula one driver took the paralympic gold medal wednesday in paracycling a hand cycle powered by the arms at the brands hatch race. Formula one uses technology to make drivers safer the. Zanardi and his story have been featured on the hbo sports series real sports with bryant gumbel. But 2018 was far from being his best year as he failed to reach the podium at his home road world championships in maniago, italy. On the eve of the 15th anniversary since losing his legs in a motorsport accident, former formula 1 driver alex zanardi has won a gold medal in the paralympics. Former f1 driver goes for gold in paralympic debut itv news. Life time chance to meet the inspirational f1 driver alex.
Former f1 driver who lost both legs, wins paralympic gold in. Former racing driver alex zanardi, who lost both of his legs in a crash in 2001, just won his third paralympic gold medal. Former f1 ace alex zanardi wins paralympics silver, 15 years to the day. The drivers championship was first awarded in 1950, to giuseppe farina. Former formula 1 driver alex zanardi of italy explains how handcycling was like meeting the woman of his dreams after having both of his legs amputated. Polish driver robert kubica completed a one day test with williams at silverstone on wednesday as he pushes for a formula one comeback after a sevenyear absence. This is a list of formula one drivers who have also participated in an olympic games, summer or. The former grand prix driver won yesterdays event in 1h15m53s, two. Alessandro zanardi is an italian professional racing driver and paracyclist. A documentary on brazilian formula one racing driver ayrton senna, who won the f1 world championship three times before his death at age 34.
One year earlier, he had claimed the time trial h5 title and had taken silver in the road race h5 at the road worlds in pietermaritzburg, south africa. Former f1 racing driver alex zanardi wins paralympic handcycling gold this article is more than 7 years old former williams driver, who lost both legs in a. At present, the 2020 calendar has been put on hold until at. Former formula 1 driver alex zanardi won a paralympic gold medal on the eve of the 15year anniversary of when he lost his legs in a motorsport crash. Italian passion to drive zanardi to pole position former formula 1 driver alex zanardi of italy explains how handcycling was like meeting the woman of his dreams after having both of his legs amputated. Items on the best formula 1 driver of all time top list are added by the community and ranked using our secret ranking sauce. Former f1 driver zanardi enjoys golden day reuters.
His first meeting was at a porsche supercup event at imola. Andreas solaro afp getty images italian alessandro zanardi, 49, suffered an accident during a. This was the first appearance for paracanoe in the paralympic games. An ex formula one driver, who lost his legs after a horrific crash in 2001, made a sensational return to brands hatch yesterday winning a gold medal in paralympics cycling. Sep 15, 2016 on the eve of the 15th anniversary since losing his legs in a motorsport accident, former formula 1 driver alex zanardi has won a gold medal in the paralympics. Lucky f1 driver lost both legs and triumphed with paralympic gold. One of the paralympic cyclists is a former formula 1 driver. Eleven years after losing his legs in an horrific crash, the former f1 driver is a gold medal contender at the london paralympics. List of formula one world drivers champions wikipedia.
Exf1 driver zanardi completes incredible journey after storming to paralympic gold. In this role the bmw works driver will not only represent the brand by competing in the blancpain sprint series, but also. Ex formula 1 driver alex zanardi has claimed his second gold medal of the 2016 paralympics. Jun 20, 2019 whisper films was established in 2010 by ceo sunil patel, tv presenter jake humphrey and former formula 1 driver david coulthard. Former formula 1 driver alex zanardi continued his dominance of paralympic handcycling by adding the h5 road time trial title to his two gold medals from london 2012 on wednesday. List of formula one olympians the formula 1 wiki fandom. Former formula one race car driver alex zanardi, left, from italy, rides his. Formula one driver who lost his legs in a crash wins. Pages in category australian formula one drivers the following 19 pages are in this category, out of 19 total. Alex zanardi wins paralympic handcycling gold medal in rio. Alex zanardi is aiming for a hand cycling medal in the 2012 paralympic games in london after winning sundays rome marathon. Former f1 driver alex zanardi wins third paralympic gold medal. Sep 05, 2012 the italian former racing driver alex zanardi, who lost both his legs in a horrifying crash in 2001, returned on wednesday to brands hatch to complete the latest stage in an astonishing sporting.
Former f1 driver alessandro zanardi wins paralympic gold. The former formula one driver took the paralympic gold medal in paracycling a hand cycle powered by the arms at the brands hatch race track, posting a time of 24 minutes, 50. In 2001 he was involved in a 200mph crash in the american memorial 500 cart race in germany, an accident that destroyed his vehicle and saw him lose both his legs, as well as nearly taking his life. Zanardi, paralympic champion at the olympics in london in 2012 and rio in 2016, already did some laps at the daytona circuit. Formula one s new ceo, chase carey, has high hopes for the sport in america, telling cnbc at the time of the acquisition that he wanted to make the races feel more like super bowl events. F1 veterans offer ways formula 1 can return to action. On the eve of the 15 th anniversary since losing his legs in a motorsport accident, former formula 1 driver alex zanardi has won a gold medal in the paralympics. One swimmer switches events at every paralympics she. Alex zanardi won his third paralympic gold medal on wednesday, sept. Former f1 driver zanardi, who lost his legs 11 years ago. The former formula one driver took the paralympic gold medal wednesday in paracycling a hand cycle powered by the arms at the brands hatch. Paracanoeing at the 2016 summer paralympics wikipedia. He has cowritten two books based on his life, alex zanardi.
Former formula 1 driver alex zanardi lost both his legs in a gruesome accident, but will return to brands hatch as an olympian. Former formula one driver alessandro zanardi of italy wins the road cycle individual time trial h4 category at the 2012 paralympics in london. Sep 10, 2012 4 italys alessandro zanardi a former formula 1 race driver celebrates after winning the gold medal in the mens individual h4 time trial cycling final. His story attracted a lot of attention he was a formula 1 driver until a horrendous crash left him without both legs. Born in bologna, italy alex lost his sister at a very early age who had been a promising swimmer. Former teammate reveals where kimi raikkonen lacks.
Zanardi later raced at a fourhour event at donington park where he and alex portman retired with eight minutes remaining despite leading by over a lap. What lewis hamilton and sebastian vettel get paid lewis hamilton is once again the best paid formula 1 driver on the grid, still within his mega contract that was agreed until the conclusion of the 2020 campaign. Former formula one and indycar racecar driver who in 2001 lost his legs in a. Zanardi was competing in a championship auto racing teams cart race in september 2001 at a. Former f1 driver zanardi targets london paralympic games. This documentary focuses on the dangers of the early grand prix racing and the actions that followed in order to make formula 1 safer. Formula one uses technology to make drivers safer racing gloves worn by charles leclerc of sauber contain a biometric sensor that sends. Daniel ricciardos shock switch to renault and fernando alonsos decision to quit formula one at the end of 2018 have blown the f1 driver market wide open. At least that was message he got from race organizers when he said he wanted to defend his 2011 new york city marathon title in the handcycle division.
Zanardi, a former racecar driver, wins a gold medal the. Former williams driver, who lost both legs in a crash in 2001, returned to brands hatch to win gold in his first paralympics. Prince bira and roberto mieres both took part in the star class sailing event in. Yohansson nascimento born 25 september 1987 is an athlete and paralympian from brazil competing mainly in t4546 sprint events. Alessandro zanardi it has been appointed as a new bmw brand ambassador. He returned to cart in 2001, but a major crash in the 2001 american memorial resulted in the amputation of his legs.
Handcyclist zanardi triumphed in the h5 road time trial in rio on wednesday. Paralympic hand cyclist alex zanardi knows the course being used at brands hatch next week like the back of his hand because of his time as. Alessandro zanardi announced as new bmw brand ambassador. Former f1 driver alessandro zanardi wins paralympics road. He was born without both his hands, 1 and is classified t46. Former formula one driver alessandro zanardi told itv news that winning gold in the handcycling was a moment of a little bit of sadness. Sep 05, 2012 former formula one driver alex zanardi has won gold at the london 2012 paralympics after storming to victory in the h4 handcycling timetrial at brands hatch. Italian racecar driver alex zanardi lost his legs in an indycar crash in 2001. Former f1 driver alex zanardi wins third paralympic gold. Alex zanardi puts lifethreatening champ car crash behind him to go for gold in hand cycling at london 2012 inspiring story of former f1 driver who. With lotus formula one having folded, zanardi took time to race in sports car racing. At present, the 2020 calendar has been put on hold until at least midjune for the. Former formula 1 driver and current pundit david coulthard thinks f1 could be racing sooner rather than later. Alex zanardi is a former formula 1 racing driver who lost both his legs in a car crash.
The spanish driver shared structure with the finn during his time as a mclaren tester. He and papis raced in italy at numerous events such as. In london, the former formula one and indycar driver alex zanardi won a paralympic gold medal in paracycling, a hand cycle powered by the arms. With his sights now set on the tokyo 2020 paralympics, he also runs a. The victory capped an incredible journey for the 45yearold who almost died in a horrific accident at a 2001 cart race in germany. Paralympics gold medalist vanessa low and former formula 1 driver and current world champion nico rosberg take a selfie after the former received the keep fighting award during a german. Sunday, april 5 marks the second race in the virtual f1 grand prix, which will see current formula 1 drivers charles leclerc, alex albon, george russell, lando norris and nicholas latifi duking it. Zanardi, a former racecar driver, wins a gold medal. Sep 06, 2012 former formula one driver alessandro zanardi of italy wins the road cycle individual time trial h4 category at the 2012 paralympics in london. Best formula 1 driver of all time is a public top list created by listnerd on on november 27th 2012. Exformula one driver alex zanardi, who lost legs in crash.