Alex Zanardi Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Alex Zanardi is an Italian professional racing driver and para cyclist who won the CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams) championship in both 1997 and 1998 and had finished 3rd in 1996. He also competed in the Formula One World Championship (1991-1994, 1999) after which he returned to the CART championship in 2001. However, a major accident at the 2001 American Memorial race caused the amputation of his legs. Despite the tragedy, Alex returned to competitive racing within 2 years and participated in the European Touring Car Championship (2003–2004) and the World Touring Car Championship (2005-2009). In 2013, he was inducted into the ‘Motorsports Hall of Fame of America’. Apart from competitive motorsport racing, he has also excelled at hand cycling, a form of paralympic cycling, and won 2 ‘Gold’ medals and a ‘Silver’ medal at both the 2012 London Paralympics and the 2016 Rio Paralympics. As of June 2020, he had won 12 ‘Gold’ medals, 5 ‘Silver’ medals, and 1 ‘Bronze’ medal at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships. In June 2020, while competing at the Obiettivo Tricolore Hand Cycling race in Siena, Italy, he was involved in a serious accident after which he underwent 3 hours of neurosurgery and maxillofacial surgery after which he was placed in a medically-induced coma.

Born Name

Alessandro Zanardi

Nick Name

Alex

Sun Sign

Scorpio

Born Place

Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Residence

Italy

Nationality

Occupation

Professional Racing Driver, Para Cyclist

Family

• Father – Dino Zanardi
• Mother – Anna Zanardi
• Siblings – Cristina Zanardi (Older Sister) (Swimmer) (d. 1979)

Car Number

9 – World Touring Car Championship

Formula One Teams

Alex has raced for –

• Team 7UP Jordan (1991)
• Minardi Team (1992)
• Team Lotus (1993-1994)
• Winfield Williams (1999)

Build

Athletic

Height

5 ft 8 in or 173 cm

Weight

68 kg or 150 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Alex has dated –

1. Daniela Manni (1996-Present) – Alex got married to Daniela Manni in 1996 and they have a son together named Niccolò Zanardi (b. September 7, 1998).

Race / Ethnicity

White

He is of Italian descent.

Hair Color

Light Brown

Eye Color

Blue

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Toned physique
• Center-parted, disheveled hair
• Clean-shaven look
• Affable smile
• Sports a Mullett

Alex Zanardi Facts

1. He had started his racing journey with karts from the age of just 13. In the early days of his karting career, he used to drive a kart that he had built using the wheels of a dustbin and some pipes.
2. In 1991, he had finished in 2nd place at the International Formula 3000 series with an interesting set of results. He had retired in 4 of the 10 races, finished 2nd in 4 races, and won the remaining 2 races.
3. In his 5 seasons at the Formula One World Championship (1991-1994, 1999), he scored just 1 championship point and that was by virtue of a 6th-place finish at the 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix.
4. As of June 2020, he has co-written 2 books based on his life, Alex Zanardi: My Story (2004) and Alex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory (2004). His life story was also featured in the HBO sports series Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.
5. He had competed in the 2014 Ironman World Championship and had ended up in 19th place out of 247 competitors in the 45–49-years-old category, despite his handicap.
6. In September 2018, in a triathlon competition in Cervia, Italy, he had broken the Ironman world record in the disabled category, with a time of 8:26’6. He was placed 5th in the overall competition standings.

Featured Image by Alex Zanardi / Instagram