Zanardi transferred to specialist centre for further treatment

Alex Zanardi's treatment following a handbike crash last month will continue at a specialist following a month-long stay in hospital.

The Italian was involved in a collision with a lorry after his handbike slipped off the road while taking part in the 'Obiettivo tricolore’ relay race.

Zanardi sustained serious head and face injuries and underwent two neurological surgeries in hospital before a third one earlier this month for cranio-facial reconstruction.

His sedation at the Santa Maria alle Scotte hospital has now ended, and he has been moved to a new centre that specialises in recovery and rehabilitation.

In a new statement, Valtere Giovannini, general manager of the Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, said: “Our professionals remain at the disposal of this extraordinary person and his family for the further stages of clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic development, as always happens in these cases.

“The athlete spent over a month in our hospital: he underwent three delicate surgical operations and showed a path of stability of his clinical conditions and vital parameters that allowed the reduction and suspension of sedation, and the consequent possibility of be able to be transferred to a facility for the necessary neuro-rehabilitation.”

Zanardi took part in 44 F1 grands prix throughout the 1990s however he found major success in the United States, where he won the CART championship twice in 1997 and 1998.

In 2001, he was involved in a major collision at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz and as a consequence, had both of his legs amputated. However, Zanardi has since become a successful Paralympian, winning gold medals in London and Rio De Janeiro.

Since the start of the 2020 F1 season, teams have been displaying #ForzaAlex messages on helmets and their cars.