He hadn’t been seen in the paddock for a while, and everyone knew he was battling a serious illness with great courage. This morning, Fabrizio Borra passed away at the age of 64. Born in Brescia, he became an adopted Forlì native. As a physiotherapist in F1, he left his mark through his friendship with Fernando Alonso, but Fabrizio’s career also intertwined with the lives of many champions beyond motorsport who needed his care to recover from terrible injuries.
His story with Fernando Alonso began a long time ago: “In 2000, I was part of the Minardi Team, which had a satellite team in F3000 where this young talent named Fernando Alonso was racing. The following year he arrived in F1 with Minardi and that’s when we started working together. We’ve remained close ever since.”
Fernando was a constant presence, but Fabrizio worked with many well-known figures who turned to him for his invaluable care, including Michael Schumacher, after his leg fracture at Silverstone; Andrea Dovizioso, Marco Pantani, Gianmarco Tamberi, and many others, all the way to celebrities like Roberto Benigni and Jovanotti. The singer-songwriter relied on Fabrizio Borra’s support after a terrible bicycle accident while touring the Dominican Republic, from which he returned with a fractured collarbone and femur broken in several places.
Fabrizio Borra wasn’t just a physiotherapist, but also a trusted confidant to champions: “You have to know when to be visible,” Fabrizio explained, “and when to disappear, when to speak and, above all, when to remain silent. Before a race, you must convey calm and confidence.” His work went beyond the physical – it was also about the mind…
No one has forgotten the live TV images from the 2007 Hungarian GP, when Ron Dennis, then McLaren team principal, put his arm around Borra after the Asturian driver had hindered Lewis Hamilton in Q3, earning a five-place grid penalty…
In the paddock he was well-known to everyone, as he followed the Spaniard throughout his career, from the Minardi days to Renault, Ferrari, McLaren, Alpine, and finally Aston Martin. He founded the Fisiology Center on Via Grigioni in Forlì, a facility equipped with the latest tools in athletic recovery research – a study he never stopped pursuing, with the belief that improvement and growth were always possible. The ScuderiaFans.com editorial team extends heartfelt condolences to his wife Enia, his sons Luca and Daniele, and all the friends who, like Fernando Alonso, had the privilege of sharing a part of their lives with Fabrizio.
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