The former F1 star suffered head injuries after a handbike accident last month. He had left an Italian hospital days ago but has now returned to receive round-the-clock care after his condition turned for the worse.
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Ex-Formula One driver Alex Zanardi was readmitted to intensive care on Friday, officials said, in a setback for the Paralympic champion who suffered head trauma in a handbike accident last month.
However, the 53-year-old has now been transferred back to an intensive care unit, this time in Milan, due to "instability," according to a statement from the hospital in Como.
"Faced with the instability of the clinical conditions of the patient Alex Zanardi, it was decided to transfer him to the intensive therapy department of the San Raffaele hospital in Milan," the statement continued.
The Italian racing star suffered serious head injuries after losing control of his handbike during a road race in Tuscany on June 19 and crashing into an oncoming truck.
Zanardi suffered an accident during a CART race in Germany in 2001, leaving him a double amputeeImage: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Hiekel
From F1 to Olympic gold
Zanardi raced for Formula One teams Jordan, Minardi and Lotus in the early 1990s before moving to the CART championship in the United States where he claimed titles in 1997 and 1998.
On the back of his success stateside, he returned to F1 in 1999, racing for the Williams outfit.
However, Zanardi was involved in a motor racing accident in 2001 and had both his legs amputated.
Ex-F1 driver continued to compete in various sports after losing his legs in the 2001 crashImage: Getty Images/A.Caparros
He continued racing in modified touring cars after losing his legs, before later pivoting to handbike racing and dominating the 2012 and 2016 Paralympic games, earning four gold medals and two silvers.
He was set to compete in the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo before the Games were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
F1 2020: The teams and drivers
Questions remain ahead of the shortened Formula One season. Will Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton continue to dominate? What can Sebastian Vettel do in his final season with Ferrari? DW analyzes the teams and drivers in 2020.
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Mercedes
The "Silver Arrows" will be sporting black paint this season, taking a stand against racism by supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Even in black, the six-time defending constructors' champions should be leading the pack. During the coronavirus hiatus, Mercedes technicians worked to make the W11 EQ Performance (pictured) faster and built in a few upgrades.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/MediaPortal Daimler AG
Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas
Defending world champion Hamilton (left) is once again the favorite for the drivers' title, while Bottas is the clear No. 2 driver. If Hamilton secures a seventh title, he will draw level with German great Michael Schumacher for most all-time. During the coronavirus break, the Briton came out in support of Black Lives Matter and branded F1 as a sport for people "who look a certain way."
Image: picture-alliance/HOCH ZWEI
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel
The Scuderia Ferrari racing team is less harmonious than the "Silver Arrows." The team hierarchy has shifted: four-time champion Vettel (left) is leaving after the season, and 22-year-old Leclerc (right) is the future. The dynamic could lead to conflict. Vettel wants the best possible send-off, but if the team calls him off in favor of Leclerc, that might upset the German driver.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/T. Hanai
Ferrari
The SF1000 is a further upgrade to the SF90 car of 2019, which spent most of the season behind Mercedes. Whether Ferrari's technicians were able to catch up is yet to be seen. More important will be minimizing tactical mistakes. More than once last season Ferrari lost races with the wrong strategy. Establishing a clear No. 1 driver could help in reclaiming the constructors title.
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Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon
Verstappen (right) just wants to drive: "That was the longest break in my racing career," the Dutch driver said. The fact that two races this season will take place at the Red Bull Ring in Austria plays into the 22-year-old's hands as he won Red Bull's home race last year. Albon (left) earned new fans when he finished second in the eSports F1 competition.
Image: picture-alliance/HOCH ZWEI
McLaren: Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz Jr.
The historic British team is the only "smaller" F1 outfit that could regularly compete with the three "big" teams. Sainz (right) in particular wants to show that he’s deserving of his switch to Ferrari in 2021. For Norris (left), the goal will be to strengthen his position in the team with good results before Daniel Riccardo joins next season.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Z. Mauger
Renault: Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon
Will things finally click into place? Ricciardo (right) is entering his second season with the French outfit. The last campaign was one to forget: he finished in the points only eight times and didn't have a podium finish. He’ll be hoping to fare betterin his final year with Renault before moving to McLaren in 2021. Will Ocon (left), who replaced Nico Hülkenberg, become Renault's top driver?
Image: Getty Images/AFP/W. West
Alfa Romeo: Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi
Drive fast and be quiet. That's the motto the former world champion Raikkonen (front) will have in his 18th season in F1. The 40-year-old is not considering retirement, but will rather try to get the most out of his car. Alfa Romeo finished fifth in the constructors' standings last season. They need the car to perform better than in 2019, and teammate Giovinazzi (right) must be faster.
Image: Getty Images/R. Carezzevol
Racing Point: Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll
Is just being there enough? The pink outfit need to strive for more this season. They want to finish in the points regularly and leave the likes of Alpha Tauri and Renault behind. Perez (right) will compete further up the field after easily winning the internal battle with Stroll (left) with 16 points to Stroll's five. Perez should once again show he's the better and more complete driver
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Haas: Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen
These two are not very popular with their colleagues. Magnussen (right) often gets away with his rude and uncompromising driving style. Grosjean (left) is considered a "scrap producer" with many self-inflicted accidents — the French driver failed to finish seven races last year. Generally, the two Haas drivers tended to plow through the rear third of the field. That shouldn't change in 2020.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Monfort
Alpha Tauri: Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly
Team of failures? Both Kvyat (left) and Gasly (right) were once Red Bull drivers but were not convincing enough and were downgraded. Until this season, Alpha Tauri were called Torro Rosso (Italian for "Red Bull") and remains the Austrian outfit's farm team. Both drivers proved last season they deserve a second chance: Kvyat finished third in Hockenheim and Gasly came in second in Sao Paulo.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Groder
Williams: Nicholas Latifi and George Russell
The two Williams drivers know that they will compete at the back of the pack this season. But Mercedes academy driver Russell (right) can rest easy knowing he will be driving a "Silver Arrow" one day. Until then, he will gain experience with rookie teammate Latifi with Williams. Their cars are usually not fast, but make it across the finish line.
