Mark Webber delivers 'absolutely insane' tribute after death of motorsport hero

Mark Webber has paid a touching tribute to the "absolutely insane" Alex Zanardi following the Italian's death last week, aged 59.

Zanardi, a former F1 driver and two-time CART (now IndyCar) champion, suffered life-changing injuries in a CART race in Germany in 2001, where he was struck by another car broadside at 200 mph after losing control whilst exiting the pits. 

His legs were amputated as he lost 75% of his blood volume, but he remarkably survived and even returned to motorsport in a specially-modified BMW touring car, and in 2006, drove a BMW Sauber F1 car.

However, it was in hand-cycling where Zanardi became a sporting legend, winning four Paralympic Gold medals in the sport in the London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016 games, in addition to two Silvers. Zanardi also claimed 12 Golds, five Silvers, and a Bronze in the World Championships.

Zanardi was not seen in public following a collision with a truck whilst in a hand-cycling race in June 2020, in which he suffered severe facial trauma. 

Reflecting on the life and achievements of the popular Italian, nine-time F1 race winner, Webber recalled the "incredible motivation and borderline stubbornness" Zanardi showed to return to sport following his accident in 2001.

"I suppose just how big his heart was and the spirit that he had and the way he went about his racing and the amazing smile," Webber exclusively told RacingNews365 of the Italian. 

"He had the Lotus years [in F1] and went to IndyCar and found himself over there; he was a gun. 

"He tried the Williams return [in 1999], but obviously the horrendous crash in Germany set his life on a completely different path, and you see the inspiration of turning himself into a Paralympic medal-winning wheelchair athlete.

"He gave so much to our sport and was just an incredibly warm guy, but a brilliant competitor, and it is fascinating in life sometimes you try and work out and have so many questions why someone has to deal with so much adversity, with the two nasty accidents.

"Sometimes, you don't understand why people get those cards dealt, but his positive spirit is one I'll never forget. I was at the Autosport [Awards] one year, and it was one of the most powerful standing ovations I've ever heard when he came on stage - that's when he was driving the BMW with the hand controls. 

"I've got special forces friends that have lost a leg, or legs, and he disrupted with his incredible motivation, borderline stubbornness to find a way to get back in the car and facilitate the technology and crack the code with people to find the ideas to say: 'I still want to race, how do I do it, where is the solution?'

"I have a problem, give me a solution, and just get back on track. He raced bloody hard, and it shows the determination required to do what he used to be able to do, and accept that he can't do what he used to be able to do. 

"But then, saying: 'Okay, I'm going to try and get as close as I can to when I was able-bodied to drive the car on the limit with just my hands.'

"None of us was in a position to know what that might have felt like mentally, but clearly you have to accept it was an absolutely insane performance."