Fernando Alonso issues statement after long-serving physio passes away

Fabrizio Borra, the long-serving physiotherapist of Aston Martin F1 driver Fernando Alonso, has died.

Italian publication Corriere della Sera reports that Borra, 64, died in the Italian city of Forli on Sunday morning after a year-long battle with cancer.

Fernando Alonso’s long-serving physio Fabrizio Borra dies

Borra, who was born in Brescia, was a familar face in the paddock having worked with Alonso throughout the two-time World Champion’s F1 career, stretching back to his debut season with the Minardi team in 2001.

Borra was famously the member of Alonso’s entourage confronted by McLaren boss Ron Dennis after the two-time World Champion held up team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the pit lane during qualifying at the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest.

Borra also worked with the likes of Michael Schumacher, the seven-time World Champion, helping the then-Ferrari driver to recover from a broken leg sustained in an accident at the 1999 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Alonso took to social media on Sunday to bid a public farewell to his friend and colleague, writing: “I’ll miss you, Fabri. Every day.

“Thank you for teaching me so much and making me a better person and athlete.

“My whole career with you has been the greatest good fortune I could have 👬🏻. ❤️ Rest in peace, brother. ❤️”

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He also worked with Andrea Dovizioso, the former MotoGP rider, as well as prominent figures outside of motorsport, including cycling stars like Marco Pantani and leading members of the entertainment industry.

He is survived by his wife Enia and his sons Luca and Daniele, who work at the Fisiology Center established by Borra in the Grigioni area of Forli.

Jovanotti, the Italian singer-songwriter who worked with Borra for 25 years, was among the first to pay tribute to the late physiotherapist on Sunday.

In a post on social media, Jovanotti wrote: “This morning at dawn the ‘coach’ left us.

“We had been friends and worked together since 1996, and until a few days ago, as long as he was able to stand he kept me and all his ‘athletes’ on their feet.

“He was an undisputed leader for physiotherapists and coaches, an innovator who was able to fuse different knowledge to create his own method that differed according to the psychophysical characteristics of those who asked for his help.

“He has whipped champions of every sport and every performative art in which the body is an instrument that has to feel good in order to express itself at its best.

“Now his boys @luca_borra and @dani_borra @physiologycenter will pick up the legacy as Fabrizio would have wished.

“The last time we spoke, a few days ago, he was happy because he knew that his boys, whom he trained, will continue and even develop the method.

“Before he fell ill a year ago, he was working on a book to tell his colleagues about his experience with champion athletes of all disciplines and people of all types grappling with situations that are often difficult to recover and bodies to rehabilitate and ‘tune up’.

“I loved the coach, we had wonderful times together, in the most important moments of my life, in the happy passages and in the difficult ones he was always with me and my family.

“We laughed and cried together, we suffered and rejoiced together, he helped me overcome obstacles and we never lost our lightness and confidence.

“A big hug to his Enia on this day when we celebrate mothers [May 11 marks Mothering Sunday in Italy].

“His lesson remains for all of us who knew him and were helped by him: head up and move forward, smile, welcome, humanity and study every day, the rest is not for us to decide.

“Bye ‘coach’, also from my family and all our tour team.”

Borra is understood to have visited last year’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza as a treat following what was described as a ‘difficult’ operation.

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