"Zanardi's Smile," Sardinian illustrator Dessì's tribute to the late champion

"I drew it on the fly, in the wake of the emotion I felt for this great man I met many years ago in Bologna. What struck me most was his smile."

These are the words of Sandru Dessì, author of the work dedicated to Alex Zanardi, who passed away on May 1st at the age of 59.

The Sardinian writer and illustrator, known for his comics and publications chronicling the lives of great Sardinian figures such as Antonio Gramsci and Emilio Lussu, for once abandons historical themes and pays homage to the Bolognese athlete, former Formula One driver, nicknamed "Champion of the Impossible."