More than a year after being seriously injured in a paracycling accident, 55-year-old racing driver and Paralympian Alex Zanardi has been discharged from hospital to continue his recovery process at home in his native Italy.

The news was first reported by Sports car Monday, and confirmed by Zanardi’s wife Daniella in a statement released by BMW on Tuesday.

She said her husband was able to leave the hospital a few weeks ago and is pursuing different exercise programs as part of his recovery process, and has already regained some strength in his arms. , but noted that it was too early to say what path the recovery will take.

“You still can’t predict how her recovery will develop further,” she said. “It’s still a long and difficult road that Alex approaches with a lot of fighting spirit.”

Zanardi raced in Formula 1, as well as in CART, where he became two-time champion. His legs were amputated after an accident at the Lausitzring in Germany in 2001. He then returned to racing and became a competitive handbike racer, winning multiple medals at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Summer Games.

Zanardi is also a brand ambassador for BMW, participating with the manufacturer in the German DTM touring car series and sports cars. Most recently, he drove an M8 GTE at the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona alongside Jesse Krohn, John Edwards and Chaz Mostert. Embarrassed by mechanical problems, the quartet finished 24th overall and ninth in its category.