(FILES) Italian Formula One driver Alex Zanardi(L) sits in the cockpit of his Williams-Winfield, 08 April 1999, at the pits of the Interlagos race track in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Alex Zanardi, the Italian racing car driver who became a Paralympic cycling champion after losing both legs in an accident, has died aged 59, his family announced on May 2, 2026. Zanardi, one of his country's most loved and respected sportsmen, who as credited with helping transformed the perception of disability in Italy, died on the evening of May 1. (Photo by ANTONIO SCORZA / AFP via Getty Images)