Alex Zanardi undergoes neurosurgery for second time since crash

Former Formula One driver and Paralympic champion Alex Zanardi, seriously injured in a handbike accident on June 19, has undergone neurological surgery for a second time, a hospital statement said on Monday.

The Santa Maria alle Scotte hospital in Siena, Italy, said the surgery lasted around 2½ hours, adding that Zanardi, who suffered severe head injuries in the accident, was sedated and intubated in the intensive care unit.

"His condition remains stable from the cardio-respiratory and metabolic point of view, serious from the neurological point of view," said the statement.

Hospital director Roberto Gusinu said a second surgery had been envisaged by doctors beforehand.

The 53-year-old Italian is an inspirational figure in the worlds of motorsport and Paralympic endeavour, a hugely popular and positive competitor who returned from life-changing injuries with a smile.

He had both legs amputated above the knee, with his heart stopping seven times as he lost all but a litre of the blood in his body, after a horrific crash in a Champ car race at the Lausitzring in Germany in September 2001.

He later turned to paracycling and won a total of four Paralympic gold medals, two each at London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016.