Alex Zanardi: Doctors begin process of bringing ex-Formula 1 driver out of coma
Last updated on .From the section Formula 1
Doctors at the hospital treating ex-Formula 1 driver Alex Zanardi have begun the process of bringing him out a medically induced coma.
The 53-year-old Italian, a four-time Paralympic gold medallist, suffered severe head injuries in a crash with a lorry on his hand cycle on 19 June.
A statement from the Aou Senese Hospital in Siena where he is being treated said his neurological condition remained “serious” and that it would take “a few days” to complete “further evaluation”.
Zanardi’s prognosis remains confidential and a further update will be issued next week, the statement said.
Zanardi has become a global sporting icon for the resilience he has shown returning to action after losing his legs in an accident in a race in the US-based Champ Car championship at Germany’s Lausitzring in 2001.
He returned to motorsport, winning four times for BMW in the World Touring Car Championship from 2005-09 and then moved into hand-cycle racing.
In addition to his four gold medals, he has won 12 world championships in the sport, as well as the 2011 New York Marathon.
