Grapevine: Theissen praises Zanardi on F1 return

On Thursday the 40-year-old leg-amputee made his comeback to a Formula One cockpit after leaving the sport in 1999 and losing his lower limbs in a Champ Car accident in 2001.

At the wheel of a BMW-Sauber F1.06 modified to the driver's special needs, Zanardi today completed 12 laps at the Circuit de la Comunitat clocking a fastest time of 1:21.63.

BMW Motorsport director Theissen was impressed both with the driver and with the behaviour of the modified car. "After just a few installation laps on Thursday, Alessandro Zanardi had far more time today to enjoy his Formula One comeback," he said.

"I was impressed with how well the modifications on the car are working. Alessandro felt comfortable from the word go, which has also been proved by his lap times. It's obvious that he is no Formula One newcomer.

"He has not forgot how to drive a race car like this at the limit," added Theissen.

Zanardi was thankful of the chance offered by BMW and was impressed by the smoothness of the car.

He said: "This is a special opportunity for me. I saw some very happy faces; everybody was surprised that everything was working so smoothly. BMW always gave me maximum support, especially in the WTCC. Driving the Formula One car is another step. I am very proud that I am doing this.

"The car was fantastic. Everything is so precise; I was really amazed, because usually you need more time to work on all the details of the car. I expected the car to be much rougher. But it feels rather like a beautiful BMW 7 Series, not like a Formula One car."

Zanardi will carry on testing at Valencia tomorrow, where Briton Anthony Davidson holds the lap record with a time of 1:08.540 in a Honda F1 car in March this year.