For the first time since leaving Williams in 1999, Alex Zanardi will next month test a F1 car.
Five years after losing his legs in a Champ Car crash, the former grand prix driver from Italy is scheduled to appear at Valencia in a 2006-spec BMW-Sauber at the ‘World Finals’ Formula BMW event on November 26.
Similar to his touring car set up, 40-year-old Zanardi’s F1 single seater will be equipped with a bigger brake pedal for his prothetic legs, and a throttle ‘paddle’ mounted behind the steering wheel.
Auto Motor Und Sport magazine, however, reports two possible obstacles to the Valencia run — Zanardi’s upper body which is proving difficult to accommodate in the cockpit, and an apparent lack of tyres.
BMW’s Michelin contract ended last Sunday, and the first Bridgestone tyres will not be available until the Barcelona test on November 28.
GMMF1
DailyF1News.com
