Alessandro "Alex"Zanardi (Italian pronunciation:[ˈaːleksdzaˈnardi]; born 23 October 1966) is an Italian professionalracing driver andparacyclist. He won theCART championship in1997 and1998, and took 15 wins in the series. He also raced inFormula One from 1991 to 1994 and again in 1999; his best result was a sixth-place finish in the1993 Brazilian Grand Prix. He returned to CART in 2001, but a major crash in the2001 American Memorial resulted in theamputation of his legs. He returned to racing less than two years after the accident, competing in theEuropean Touring Car Championship in 2003–2004 and then in theWorld Touring Car Championship between 2005 and 2009; he scored four wins.
In addition to continuing to race cars, Zanardi took up competition inhandcycling, a form of paralympic cycling, with the stated goal of representing Italy at the2012 Summer Paralympics. In September 2011, Zanardi won his first senior international handcycling medal, the silver medal in the H4 category time trial at the UCI World Road Para-Cycling Championships. In September 2012 he won gold medals at theLondon Paralympics in the individual H4 time trial and the individual H4 road race, followed by a silver medal in the mixed H1-4 team relay, and in September 2016 he won a gold and a silver medal at the2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics.
On 19 June 2020, Zanardi was involved in a serious road accident while competing in the Obiettivo tricolore handcycling race,[1] near Siena. After being transferred to hospital, Zanardi underwent three hours of neurosurgery andmaxillofacial surgery before being placed in a medically induced coma.[2]
Alex Zanardi was born inBologna, Italy on 23 October 1966, son of Dino and Anna Zanardi. His family moved to the town ofCastel Maggiore on the city's outskirts when he was four years of age.[3] His sister Cristina was a promising swimmer prior to her death in an automobile collision in 1979.[4]
Zanardi began racingkarts at age 13. He built his kart from the wheels of a dustbin and pipes from his father's work. In 1988, he joined the ItalianFormula 3 series, with a fifth place as his highest finish. In 1989, Zanardi took two pole positions and three podiums despite his team's switching to unleaded fuel, which reduced his car's engine power.[5] In 1991, he moved up to theFormula 3000 series with theIl Barone Rampante team, themselves newcomers to the series. He won his F3000 debut race, scoring two more wins that season and finishing second in the championship.[6]
After testing for theFootwork team, Zanardi mounted a strong season in F3000.Eddie Jordan looked to replaceRoberto Moreno for the remainder of the1991 season, bringing in Zanardi for the last three races. Zanardi finished two of them, both in 9th place. In1992, however, Zanardi had to be content with guest drives for Minardi, replacing the injuredChristian Fittipaldi. In the off-season, he tested forBenetton, but he contracted withLotus for 1993.[5] He later stated that in hindsight, he should have stayed on as the Benetton test driver as he would likely have been given a full-time drive for 1994 followingRiccardo Patrese's retirement, where he would have been in a race-winning car alongside that year's world championMichael Schumacher.[7]
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Zanardi compared reasonably to teammateJohnny Herbert in 1993 and was important in fine-tuning the team'sactive suspension system, scoring his only F1 point at theBrazilian Grand Prix. He was injured when an elderly motorist collided with his bicycle, knocking him down and running over Zanardi's left foot. Despite several broken bones, Zanardi raced inGermany, but he spun out and did not finish.[5] Zanardi's season ended prematurely after he sustained a concussion as a result of a crash in practice for theBelgian Grand Prix.[6]
Still recovering, Zanardi missed the beginning of the1994 season while he was working as a test driver for Lotus,[8] but he returned in theSpanish Grand Prix, replacingPedro Lamy, who had been injured in a testing crash. However, Lotus struggled in its final season in F1 and Zanardi failed to score a single point or qualify higher than 13th. For the races in Belgium and Portugal, Zanardi was replaced by Belgianpay driverPhilippe Adams.[5]
With Lotus Formula One defunct, Zanardi practiced to race in sports car racing. His first meeting was at aPorsche Supercup event atImola. Zanardi later raced at a four-hour event atDonington Park, where he and Alex Portman retired with eight minutes remaining despite leading by over a lap. The pair managed to finish 4th at a rainy day race atSilverstone.[5]
During 1995, Zanardi went to the United States for a drive in the CART Series. He felt that finding a race seat would be easy with Formula One experience, but drew no interest from any team. However, Reynard Commercial Director Rick Gorne managed to secure Zanardi a test drive at Homestead withChip Ganassi Racing. Zanardi signed a contract on 23 October 1995. The team'srace engineerMo Nunn advised Chip against signing him, as he believed Italian drivers were too prone to mistakes.[5]
Zanardi rapidly became one of the series' most popular drivers. He took the pole for his second race, although his first win didn't come until mid-season. Overall, he won three races in hisrookie season and six pole positions, finishing third in the championship behind teammateJimmy Vasser andMichael Andretti. He and Andretti were level on points but Andretti took second place by virtue of having five race wins compared to Zanardi's three.[9] Zanardi was namedRookie of the Year.[2]
A win came atMazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the final race of the 1996 season, where he conducted a highly risky overtake at the Corkscrew corner (known to many racing fans as "The Pass"; the maneuver was banned for future years), on race leaderBryan Herta, having fought his way through the field.[10]
Zanardi improved his form in CART in 1997, winning five of seventeen races, including three in a row and four of the five rounds held in the mid to late portion of the season en route to winning the Drivers' Championship. In 1998 Zanardi was even more dominant in his GanassiReynard-Honda, winning 7 of 19 races with an incredible 15 podiums in those 19 races. He won four races in a row in June and July en route to his second consecutive CART title, the third in a row for Ganassi and Honda, and the fourth for Reynard.[5]
After winning a race, Zanardi was fond of spinning his car around in tight circles, leaving circulardoughnut-shaped patterns of tyre rubber on the track; Zanardi became known as "the Donut King" for this practice.[11] This would eventually become a popular means of celebrating race wins all across America.[5]
Zanardi's CART success caught the attention of SirFrank Williams, with whom he made contact in 1997, to inform them he would be available for contract negotiations if needed. Williams visited Zanardi, who signed a three-year contract in July 1998 which was publicly confirmed in September of that year.[12] He began testing at the end of that year alongside test driverJuan Pablo Montoya. Zanardi also received offers fromBAR andHonda.[13] In Australia, Zanardi was 9th quickest in the first free practice session but had limited track time due to reliability issues and traffic in qualifying meant he could only start 15th. He showed promise in the warm-up with 6th but the race saw him crash out on lap 21. Moving on to Brazil, Zanardi once again experienced limited time on the track which was mainly due to engine issues. He started 16th and retired with a differential failure. Zanardi also incurred a $5,000 fine for speeding in the pit lane.[5]
At Imola, Zanardi's form improved with a start position of 10th. The race itself threw up a surprise for Zanardi. His car was suffering electronic issues and ran a steady 7th in the closing stages and ran over oil fromJohnny Herbert's Stewart at the Villeneuve chicane and spun into the gravel. Zanardi out-qualified Schumacher at Monaco by over half a second. More drama occurred on race day as the seat in his Williams broke off during the early stages of the race but he managed to finish 8th and last of the runners. In Spain, despite setting the 5th-quickest lap in first free practice, a wrong set-up placed Zanardi 17th in qualifying. His car's gearbox seized after a pit stop. Similar problems occurred in Canada where Friday practice running was limited. Managing to out-qualify Schumacher, Zanardi's race was incident filled. Whilst running in 8th, he spun off into the gravel trap early on and dropped to last. Further time was lost when leaving the pit lane during a safety car period and receiving a stop-go penalty. A further excursion occurred when a maneuver onLuca Badoer's Minardi ended with Zanardi crashing out.[5]
The wet qualifying for theFrench Grand Prix saw Zanardi qualify 15th after the Williams team misread conditions and aquaplaned during the race. At Silverstone, Zanardi qualified 13th and finished 11th. In Austria, he started 14th. In the first part of the race, Zanardi's radio communications failed and around lap 33, his team hung out pit boards, calling him in to pit, but a battle withPedro Diniz distracted Zanardi, causing him to miss the board twice, and eventually ran out of fuel. Mechanical failures saw Zanardi with premature exits from the next two races before he finished eighth inBelgium.[5]
In Monza, Zanardi qualified 4th ahead of teammate Ralf Schumacher. He overtookDavid Coulthard andHeinz-Harald Frentzen at the start. Frentzen took over 2nd from Zanardi at the Roggia chicane. On the third lap, the floor on the Williams became loose and he was forced to wave his rivals past, but managed to finish 7th. At the next round at theNürburgring, Zanardi qualified in 18th, placing blame on traffic. He performed well at the start but had to take avoiding action whenAlexander Wurz clippedPedro Diniz. The incident left Zanardi in last position but he regained positions before his car succumbed to his engine stalling. The penultimate round inMalaysia had seen Zanardi start from 16th with a first-lap collision that damaged his front rim with a pit-stop preventing better progress. He later ran wide, which caused damage to the car radiators and prompted another pit-stop with Zanardi finishing 10th.[5]
The final race of the season was inJapan, where he qualified 16th. In the race, Zanardi overtook many of his rivals, driving as high as 9th before his pit-lane limiter activated with the engine shutting off when he attempted to turn off the limiter on the first lap. At the end of the season, Zanardi and the Williams team decided to go their separate ways with an estimated cost of $4 million for the termination of Zanardi's contract.[5]
"When I woke up without legs, I looked at the half that was left, not the half that was lost".
(Original: "Quando mi sono risvegliato senza gambe ho guardato la metà che era rimasta, non la metà che era andata persa".)[14]
In the 2000 season, Zanardi was not signed by a team, but was interested in a CART comeback. He tested forMo Nunn in July at Sebring driving for 246 laps and opted to sign to the team for 2001.[5]
For most of the season, Zanardi had little success, with three top-ten finishes and a best result of fourth place in the2001 Molson Indy Toronto. During the2001 American Memorial at theEuroSpeedway Lausitz on 15 September 2001, Zanardi started from the back of the grid and was gaining the upper hand of the race. After a latepit stop, Zanardi was attempting to merge back onto the track when he accelerated abruptly, lost control of his car, and spun onto the race track into the direct path ofPatrick Carpentier. Carpentier was able to avoid him, butAlex Tagliani, who was just behind Carpentier at the time, was not, and Zanardi's car wasblindsided from behind the front wheel, severing the nose of the car.[15] Zanardi lost both legs (one at and one above the knee) in the impact and nearly three-quarters of his blood volume, though rapid medical intervention saved his life. Further portions of his legs were amputated during three hours of surgery to clean and facilitate closing the wounds.[16][17]
Zanardi was fitted with twoprosthetic limbs and beganrehabilitating.[4][17] Dissatisfied with the limitations of legs available commercially, Zanardi designed and built his own custom legs, to allow him to compare the weight and stiffness of various feet to find the ones most suitable for racing. In 2002, CART honoured Zanardi by allowing him to wave thecheckered flag in Toronto, Canada.[18] In 2003, Zanardi was ready to take to the track again, with the aid of hand-operated brake and accelerator controls. Before the2003 German 500 began, Zanardi ceremonially drove the thirteen laps he never finished at the Lausitzring in 2001. His fastest lap time of 37.487 seconds would have qualified him fifth in the actual race.[19]
Zanardi competed atMonza, Italy in a round of the2003 European Touring Car Championship, in his first race since the accident in atouring car modified to allow the use of his prosthetic feet, finishing the race in seventh.[20] In 2004, Zanardi returned to racing full-time, driving forRoberto Ravaglia'sBMW Team Italy-Spain in theFIAEuropean Touring Car Championship. In 2005, the series became theWorld Touring Car Championship by adding two non-European races. On 24 August 2005, Zanardi won his first world series race, celebrating with a series of trademark "donuts". He took further wins at Istanbul in 2006 andBrno in 2008 and 2009. At the end of the 2009 season, he announced his retirement from the WTCC.[21] He took the2005 Italian Superturismo Championship as organised by theAutomobile Club d'Italia with eight victories from twelve races in a Team BMW Italy-entered BMW 320si run byROAL Motorsport.[22][23]
Zanardi returned to a Formula One car in late November 2006 at a testing session forBMW Sauber inValencia, Spain. The car had been specially adapted to have hand controls fitted on the steering wheel. After the drive, Zanardi said that the main problem he was having was using only his right hand to steer through corners, as his left operated the throttle.[24] Zanardi said, "Of course, I know that I won't get a contract with the Formula One team, however having the chance to drive an F1 racer again is just incredible."[25][26]
Since 2004,CRG has made and sold a range ofkart chassis bearing Zanardi's name. The Zanardi chassis has been raced in theEuropean KF1 Championship andWorld Championship as well as in many other racing events worldwide.[27] Dutch driverNyck de Vries won theCIK-FIA Karting World Championship in 2010 and 2011 with Zanardi karts.[28]
In November 2012, Zanardi tested a BMWDTM touring car, completing 32 laps of theNürburgring.[29] He later said that the test had rekindled his interest in motor racing, and in January 2014, it was announced that he would return to motorsport in the2014 Blancpain Sprint Series season, racing aBMW Z4 GT3 for Ravaglia's ROAL Motorsport team.[30] In 2018, he made a one-off appearance in theDeutsche Tourenwagen Masters, driving aBMW M4 DTM in theMisano round of the series. After qualifying in last place for both races, he finished 12th out of 13 finishers in the first race before placing fifth in the second race in mixed weather: after the race he said that as radio communication between drivers and the pits is banned in the DTM except when cars are in the pit lane, when his team told him of his fifth-place finish he initially believed it was a joke at his expense.[31]
Zanardi returned to American motor racing by entering the2019 24 Hours of Daytona that January. Using a similar set of controls as the BMW M4 that he used in the DTM series, the GTLM-specificationBMW M8 GTE had a special steering wheel that allowed him to actuate the accelerator with his left hand and shift with his right hand. Brakes were applied with a large handle with by his right hand. The brake handle also had a downshift trigger on it so he can still "engine brake" like his teammatesJohn Edwards,Jesse Krohn andChaz Mostert.[32] The team finished 32nd overall and ninth in the GTLM category.[33]
After the injuries sustained from his 2001 racing accident, Zanardi decided to return to sport, taking uphandcycling. In 2007, he achieved 4th place in theNew York City Marathon in the handcycle division,[34] after only four weeks of training. He has since taken up handcycling in earnest, and competed at thePara-Cycling Road World Championships in 2009. He stated that he was targeting a place in the Italian team for the2012 Summer Paralympics.[35] In 2009, he won theVenice Marathon in the category for disabled people, riding his wheelchair in a time of 1:13:56, and won theRome City Marathon in 2010, in a time of 1:15:53.[36] In 2011, at his fourth attempt, Zanardi won the New York City Marathon in his handcycling class.[37]
On 5 September 2012, Zanardi won a gold medal in themen's road time trial H4 at the2012 Paralympic Games in London,[38][39] finishing 27.14 seconds ahead ofNobert Mosandi atBrands Hatch in Kent.[40] Two days later, he won the individual H4 road race, ahead ofErnst van Dyk (South Africa) andWim Decleir (Belgium), and then a silver medal for Italy in the mixed team relay H1-4 on 8 September 2012.[41][42] The bike used by Zanardi was constructed by Italian racecar constructorDallara.[43] As a result, Zanardi was named one of "The Men of the Year 2012" byTop Gear.[44] Zanardi was also voted the best male athlete of the 2012 Paralympics.[45]
Before the Games in London, Zanardi expressed interest in returning to auto racing for the2013 Indianapolis 500;[46] while this failed to pan out, at the event he was presented with his 1996 CART Laguna Seca-winning car by Target Chip Ganassi Racing.[47]
Zanardi completed the2014 Ironman World Championship with a time of 9:47:14, ranking 272nd overall and 19th out of 247 in the 45–49-year category.[48] He used ahandbike for the cycling section and awheelchair for the running section. In September 2015, Zanardi announced that he would be taking part in theBerlin Marathon using a recumbent hand cycle.[49] At the2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro he won the gold medals in the H5 category road cycling men's time trial and mixed team relay, and also silver in the road race.[50] On 22 September 2018, in a triathlon competition inCervia, Italy, Zanardi broke the Ironman world record in the category of disabled people, with a time of 8:26:06. With that time, he also ranked fifth overall in the competition.[51]
On 19 June 2020, Zanardi was involved in a serious accident while competing in theObiettivo tricolore Italian national road race for paralympic athletes.[52] The accident occurred onState Highway 146 betweenPienza and San Quirico. According toGazzetta dello Sport, Zanardi was descending down a hill when he lost control of his handbike and veered into an oncoming truck, leading to severe facial and cranial trauma. Emergency services attended the scene after other competitors helped to raise the alarm, and Zanardi was airlifted to the Santa Maria alle Scotte Hospital in Siena. He was treated in intensive care for serious head injuries.[53] In September 2020, it was reported that Zanardi was showing signs of interaction but that his condition remained "serious", and that he had undergone several surgeries to reconstruct his face.[54][55] In November 2020, Zanardi was transferred to a hospital in Padua, which was closer to his home to continue his recovery.[56][57] In December 2020, it was reported that Zanardi regained his sight and hearing; he could also respond non-verbally to questions and shake hands on demand.[58] In January 2021, it was reported that Zanardi was able to speak again following a waking surgery.[59][60] In December 2021, 18 months after the accident, he was able to return home in order to continue his rehabilitation.[61]
Zanardi has been married to Daniela Manni since 1996, and they have a son, Niccolò (born 7 September 1998).[5] He has co-written two books based on his life,Alex Zanardi: My Story (2004) with Gianluca Gasparini andAlex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory (2004).[62][63] Zanardi and his story have been featured on theHBO sports seriesReal Sports with Bryant Gumbel.[64][65] Zanardi wrote the opening chapters for the books ofSteve Olvey, the former CART medical director, including,Rapid Response: My Inside Story as a Motor Racing Life Saver.[66]
Zanardi has received multiple awards, including theAutosportGregor Grant Award in 1998 and 2003,[67] theLaureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year in 2005,[68] and theGazzetta Legend Award in 2015.[69] He was inducted into theMotorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2013 and the Long Beach Motorsports walk of fame in 2022.[70][71]
In July 2022, Zanardi was hospitalized after a fire broke out at his home in Italy due to a defect on his home'ssolar panels, which damaged medical equipment he used while recovering from his hand-cycling crash. He was released back to his home 76 days later in September.[72][73]
TheAlex Zanardi Edition Acura NSX was introduced in 1999 for the U.S. market to commemorate Zanardi's two back-to-back CART championship wins forHonda in 1997 and 1998. The car features revised suspension, as well as a fixed roof, lightweightBBS wheels, single-pane rear glass, a lightweight rear spoiler, manual steering, and a lighter battery, making it 67.5 kg (149 lb) lighter than thetarga top version.[74] Only 51 examples were ever built, and all were painted in the newly introduced New Formula Red Color Code: R-510 which subsequently replaced Formula Red Color Code: R-77 in all markets from 2000 onward, to reflect the colour of the car he drove forChip Ganassi Racing.[75]
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Italian Formula Three | Coperchini | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16th |
| 1989 | Italian Formula Three | Erre 3 Racing | 11 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 7th |
| European Formula Three Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7th | ||
| Macau Grand Prix | Federal Express Intersport Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF | |
| International Formula 3000 | Automotive BVM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| 1990 | Italian Formula Three | RC Motorsport | 11 | 2 | 1 | ? | 4 | 35 | 2nd |
| European Formula Three Cup | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 1st | ||
| Macau Grand Prix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7th | ||
| 1991 | International Formula 3000 | Il Barone Rampante | 10 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 42 | 2nd |
| Formula One | Team 7UPJordan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| 1992 | Italian Superturismo Championship | Jolly Club | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 24th |
| Formula One | Minardi Team | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| Porsche Carrera Cup Germany | Porsche AG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| 1993 | Formula One | Team Lotus | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20th |
| 1994 | Formula One | Team Lotus | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1995 | BPR Global GT Series | Lotus GT Team | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 63rd |
| 1996 | PPG Indy Car World Series | Target Ganassi Racing | 16 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 132 | 3rd |
| 1997 | CART PPG World Series | Target Chip Ganassi | 16 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 195 | 1st |
| International Race of Champions | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 12th | ||
| 1998 | CART FedEx Championship Series | Chip Ganassi Racing | 19 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 285 | 1st |
| 1999 | Formula One | WinfieldWilliams | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2001 | CART FedEx Championship Series | Mo Nunn Racing | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 23rd |
| 2003 | European Touring Car Championship | BMW Team Italy-Spain | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| 2004 | European Touring Car Championship | BMW Team Italy-Spain | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 14th |
| 2005 | World Touring Car Championship | BMW Team Italy-Spain | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 10th |
| Italian Superturismo Championship | BMW Team Italy | 10 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 91 | 1st | |
| European Touring Car Cup | BMW Team Italy-Spain | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 3rd | |
| 2006 | World Touring Car Championship | BMW Team Italy-Spain | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 26 | 11th |
| Italian Superturismo Championship | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 46 | 5th | ||
| European Touring Car Cup | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7th | ||
| 2007 | European Touring Car Championship | BMW Team Italy-Spain | 21 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 15th |
| 2008 | European Touring Car Championship | BMW Team Italy-Spain | 24 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 36 | 13th |
| 2009 | European Touring Car Championship | BMW Team Italy-Spain | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 12th |
| 2014 | Blancpain GT Sprint Series | ROAL Motorsport | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 19th |
| 2015 | Blancpain GT Sprint Series | ROAL Motorsport | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 25th |
| 2016 | Italian GT Championship | BMW Team Italia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 17th |
| 2018 | Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters | BMW Team RMR | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| 2019 | WeatherTech SportsCar Championship | BMW Team RLL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 24th |
| Italian GT Championship | BMW Team Italia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
† As Zanardi was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Racesinitalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | DC | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Automotive BVM | SIL | VAL | PAU | JER | PER | BRH | BIR | SPA | BUG | DIJ 16 | NC | 0 | [76] |
| 1991 | Il Barone Rampante | VAL 1 | PAU Ret | JER 2 | MUG 1 | PER Ret | HOC Ret | BRH 2 | SPA 2 | BUG Ret | NOG 2 | 2nd | 42 | [77] |
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | WDC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Team 7UPJordan | Jordan191 | Ford HBA4 3.5V8 | USA | BRA | SMR | MON | CAN | MEX | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | POR | ESP 9 | JPN Ret | AUS 9 | NC | 0 |
| 1992 | Minardi Team | MinardiM192 | Lamborghini 3512 3.5V12 | RSA | MEX | BRA | ESP | SMR | MON | CAN | FRA | GBR DNQ | GER Ret | HUN DNQ | BEL | ITA | POR | JPN | AUS | NC | 0 |
| 1993 | Team Lotus | Lotus107B | FordHBD6 3.5V8 | RSA Ret | BRA 6 | EUR 8 | SMR Ret | ESP 14† | MON 7 | CAN 11 | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | GER Ret | HUN Ret | BEL DNQ | ITA | POR | JPN | AUS | 20th | 1 |
| 1994 | Team Lotus | Lotus107C | Mugen Honda MF-351 HC 3.5 | BRA | PAC | SMR | MON | ESP 9 | CAN 15 | NC | 0 | ||||||||||
| Lotus109 | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | GER Ret | HUN 13 | BEL | ITA Ret | POR | EUR 16 | JPN 13 | AUS Ret | |||||||||||
| 1999 | WinfieldWilliams | WilliamsFW21 | Supertec FB01 3.0V10 | AUS Ret | BRA Ret | SMR 11† | MON 8 | SPA Ret | CAN Ret | FRA Ret | GBR 11 | AUT Ret | GER Ret | HUN Ret | BEL 8 | ITA 7 | EUR Ret | MAL 10 | JPN Ret | NC | 0 |
Notes:
(key)
| Year | Team | No. | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Target Ganassi Racing | 4 | Reynard 96i | Honda HRH | MIA 24 | RIO 4 | SRF 21 | LBH 24 | NAZ 13 | MCH 17 | MIL 13 | DET 11 | POR 1 | CLE 2 | TOR 2 | MCH 21 | MDO 1 | ROA 3 | VAN 26 | LAG 1 | 3rd | 132 | [79] | ||||
| 1997 | Target Chip Ganassi | Reynard 97i | Honda HRR | MIA 7 | SRF 4 | LBH 1 | NAZ 11 | RIO 4 | GAT 4 | MIL 13 | DET 26 | POR 11 | CLE 1 | TOR 2 | MCH 1 | MDO 1 | ROA 1 | VAN 4 | LAG 3 | FON DNS | 1st | 195 | [80] | ||||
| 1998 | Chip Ganassi Racing | 1 | Reynard 98i | Honda HRK | MIA 3 | MOT 23 | LBH 1 | NAZ 2 | RIO 2 | GAT 1 | MIL 8 | DET 1 | POR 1 | CLE 1 | TOR 1 | MCH 3 | MDO 12 | ROA 2 | VAN 4 | LAG 2 | HOU 2 | SRF 1 | FON 3 | 1st | 285 | [81] | |
| 2001 | Mo Nunn Racing | 66 | Reynard 01i | Honda HR-1 | MTY 24 | LBH 26 | NAZ 20 | MOT 7 | MIL 11 | DET 24 | POR 26 | CLE 13 | TOR 4 | MCH 20 | CHI 9 | MDO 19 | ROA 13 | VAN 24 | LAU 20 | ROC | HOU | LAG | SRF | FON | 23rd | 24 | [82] |
Source:[83] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(key) (Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.)
| International Race of Champions results | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Pos. | Points | Ref |
| 1997 | Pontiac | DAY 10 | CLT 12 | CAL 12 | MCH 12 | 12th | 17 | [84] |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car[85] | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | DC | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | BMW Team Italy-Spain | BMW 320i | ITA 1 10 | ITA 2 7 | FRA 1 15 | FRA 2 25 | GBR 1 23 | GBR 2 DNS | SMR 1 8 | SMR 2 6 | MEX 1 13 | MEX 2 Ret | BEL 1 WD | BEL 2 WD | GER 1 8 | GER 2 1 | TUR 1 6 | TUR 2 3 | ESP 1 8 | ESP 2 5 | MAC 1 13 | MAC 2 4 | 10th | 36 | [86] | ||||
| 2006 | BMW Team Italy-Spain | BMW 320si | ITA 1 7 | ITA 2 23 | FRA 1 14 | FRA 2 Ret | GBR 1 10 | GBR 2 9 | GER 1 24 | GER 2 13 | BRA 1 10 | BRA 2 3 | MEX 1 17 | MEX 2 Ret | CZE 1 2 | CZE 2 22 | TUR 1 1 | TUR 2 9 | ESP 1 15 | ESP 2 17 | MAC 1 23 | MAC 2 9 | 11th | 26 | [87] | ||||
| 2007 | BMW Team Italy-Spain | BMW 320si | BRA 1 7 | BRA 2 6 | NED 1 12 | NED 2 11 | ESP 1 Ret | ESP 2 DNS | FRA 1 Ret | FRA 2 9 | CZE 1 3 | CZE 2 20 | POR 1 16 | POR 2 15 | SWE 1 20 | SWE 2 15 | GER 1 Ret | GER 2 15 | GBR 1 15 | GBR 2 Ret | ITA 1 13 | ITA 2 6 | MAC 1 10 | MAC 2 Ret | 15th | 14 | [88] | ||
| 2008 | BMW Team Italy-Spain | BMW 320si | BRA 1 15 | BRA 2 11 | MEX 1 15 | MEX 2 11 | ESP 1 12 | ESP 2 18 | FRA 1 12 | FRA 2 11 | CZE 1 1 | CZE 2 2 | POR 1 20 | POR 2 13 | GBR 1 4 | GBR 2 3 | GER 1 12 | GER 2 19 | EUR 1 12 | EUR 2 9 | ITA 1 8 | ITA 2 7 | JPN 1 13 | JPN 2 Ret | MAC 1 23 | MAC 2 5 | 13th | 36 | [89] |
| 2009 | BMW Team Italy-Spain | BMW 320si | BRA 1 10 | BRA 2 14 | MEX 1 13 | MEX 2 6 | MAR 1 Ret | MAR 2 DNS | FRA 1 NC | FRA 2 5 | ESP 1 12 | ESP 2 5 | CZE 1 1 | CZE 2 Ret | POR 1 12 | POR 2 10 | GBR 1 12 | GBR 2 12 | GER 1 17 | GER 2 Ret | ITA 1 4 | ITA 2 4 | JPN 1 15 | JPN 2 17 | MAC 1 9 | MAC 2 9 | 12th | 31 | [90] |
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | ROAL Motorsport | BMW Z4 GT3 | Pro | NOG QR 14 | NOG CR 13 | BRH QR 17 | BRH CR 5 | ZAN QR | ZAN CR | SVK QR 10 | SVK CR Ret | ALG QR 14 | ALG CR 9 | ZOL QR 10 | ZOL CR 13 | BAK QR Ret | BAK CR DNS | 20th | 12 |
Source:[91] | |||||||||||||||||||
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car[85] | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | DC | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | HOC 1 | HOC 2 | LAU 1 | LAU 2 | HUN 1 | HUN 2 | NOR 1 | NOR 2 | ZAN 1 | ZAN 2 | BRH 1 | BRH 2 | MIS 1 13 | MIS 2 5 | NÜR 1 | NÜR 2 | SPL 1 | SPL 2 | HOC 1 | HOC 2 | NC† | 0† | [92] |
† As Zanardi was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; results initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | BMW Team RLL | GTLM | BMW M8 GTE | BMW S63 4.0 LTurboV8 | DAY 9 | SEB | LBH | MDO | WGL | MOS | LIM | ELK | VIR | LGA | PET | 24th | 22 |
Source:[91] | |||||||||||||||||
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | FIA European Formula Three Cup winner 1990 | Succeeded by Benoît Tréluyer (1999) |
| Preceded by | CART Series Champion 1997–1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Italian Touring Car Champion 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Awards and achievements | ||
| Preceded by | CART Rookie of the Year 1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Italian Sportsman of the Year 2012 | Succeeded by |
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