Former Formula 1 driver Alex Zanardi is “still unable to speak”, one year on from his handbike accident in Italy.
His condition is “essentially stable”, but he remains in a special clinic, undergoing rehabilitation and therapy.
The paracyclist suffered serious head injuries when he lost control of his handbike during a road race in Tuscany and crashed into an oncoming truck.
“He can communicate with us, but he is still unable to speak,” Zanardi’s wife Daniela said.
“It is a very long journey and at the moment no predictions are made on when he will be able to return home.”
The four-time Paralympic gold medallist, 54, is completing therapy to regain elasticity in his vocal cords, which was lost due to the amount of time he spent in an induced coma.
He does, however, have “a lot of strength in his arms and hands, and is training intensively on the equipment”.
Thanking the medical personnel that helped her husband, she added: “I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you, on behalf of Alex, for every single message.”
Zanardi had both his legs amputated after a motor racing accident in 2001 at the Lausitzring track in Germany.
He raced for Jordan, Minardi and Lotus in F1 in the early 1990s before switching to the CART championship in the United States where he was series champion in 1997 and 1998.
