Former F1 and Champ Car star and now World Touring Car ace Alex Zanardi made an emotional and impressive return to the cockpit of a modern F1 car in Valencia, Spain earlier today.
The 40 year-old, who lost both legs in a horrific Champ Car crash in 2001 drove a specially modified Sauber BMW and after a short shake down posted a series of very respectable times.
Zanardi today completed 12 laps at the Circuit de la Comunitat clocking a fastest time of 1:21.63.
BMW Motorsport director Mario Theissen was impressed both with the driver and with the behaviour of the modified car. “After just a few installation laps on Thursday, Alessandro Zanardi had far more time today to enjoy his Formula One comeback,” he said. “I was impressed with how well the modifications on the car are working. Alessandro felt comfortable from the word go, which has also been proved by his lap times. It’s obvious that he is no Formula One newcomer. He has not forgot how to drive a race car like this at the limit.“
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[...] The difference between this outing and those like Alex Zanadri’s recent run is that it wasn’t an emotional gesture or a publicity stunt, but during a full working official F1 test session. Despite finishing at the bottom of the session’s time sheets a good 3 seconds off the pace, Hakkinen has indicated that he would like to do more testing for the team. Is this in preperation for him taking on a role as “driver’s coach” so that he has an idea of what a modern F1 car is like to drive – in much the same way that Niki Lauda did a few laps in a Jaguar a few years back? [...]