Zanardi to be laid to rest, with mother Anna sharing details about his unexpected final moments.

      "Events unfolded this way, but now it’s challenging."

      Alessandro 'Alex' Zanardi will be interred in Padua on Tuesday after a public memorial service, as his family begins to process his unexpected passing. The ceremony is set to occur at the Basilica of Santa Giustina, with Father Marco Pozza, a close friend of the deceased 59-year-old Italian, officiating the funeral. Zanardi's death has sent shockwaves through the motorsport community, especially considering the absence of public updates regarding his condition since his serious hand-cycling accident in 2020.

      In an interview with La Repubblica, his mother Anna recounted the abruptness of the former Formula 1 driver’s death. "I haven’t slept. I’m very exhausted. He was fine at noon, and by evening, he was gone," she stated. "We’re uncertain about the cause, whether it was cardiac arrest or fulminant pneumonia. We’ll wait for their findings." She also shared her thoughts on her son’s life and nature. "All this love remains. The sweetness remains - Alex was a very kind boy, a remarkable boy."

      "For me, Alex was the best. He brought me so much joy. Yet now, I’m paying for it all." Her sorrow is further intensified by previous family losses, including her husband and daughter. "Things happened this way, but now it’s hard, it’s truly hard," she expressed. Zanardi's extraordinary life included his time in Formula 1, success in CART in the United States, a life-altering crash in 2001 that resulted in the loss of both legs, and a second career as a Paralympic champion.