Tributes have been paid to former Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran following his death from a heart attack at the age of 56.
A much-loved and respected racing driver, De Ferran also enjoyed a successful career in Formula 1, working as sporting director for both the BAR/Honda and McLaren teams.
The Paris-born Brazilian did not race in F1, but built an excellent career in the United States, racing in the IndyCar/Cart series between 1995 and 2003, winning back-to-back Cart titles in 2000 and 2001 and the Indy 500 won for Penske Racing in 2003.
On Saturday, the Brazilian Automobile Federation announced that De Ferran had suffered a heart attack while competing at a private racing club in Florida on Friday. He was taken to hospital, but did not survive.
Former F1 world champions Jenson Button and Damon Hill both expressed their sadness at his death. “Still shocked that we lost one of the good ones so young,” Button wrote on Instagram. “One of the best behind the wheel and a great guy Gil De Ferran. I will miss that beautiful smile, rest in peace my friend.”
Hill also mourned a great loss to the motor racing world. “One of the nicest guys I've ever met. He made me laugh. He got it,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Jesus, Gil, you left too early. My sincere condolences to his lovely family and everyone who knew him (there are many, many) and everyone at McLaren. He was a fighter and a winner. Big loss.”
De Ferran was admired both as a driver and as a thoughtful, personable and engaging character. He made his name racing single-seaters in Britain, competing in Formula Ford, Opel Lotus and then the Formula Three series. In F3 he finished third in 1991 behind Rubens Barrichello and David Coulthard – both of whom moved to F1 – and the following year he took the title with Paul Stewart Racing.
He competed in Formula 3000 in 1993 and 1994 as he attempted to break into F1, running tests for both the Williams and Arrows F1 teams. De Ferran was linked with several potential seats in F1, but despite his reputation as a fast and cerebral driver he was unable to secure a place at a time when paid drivers supported many teams.
Instead, De Ferran bravely made the move to try it in the US, despite having no experience racing on oval tracks. It took him time to adapt to the different skills required, but he mastered it and was recognized as one of the best drivers on the superhighways of the Cart and then the IndyCar circuit.
The highlight was his victory at the Brickyard in 2003. As he recovered from a serious accident that left him with neck and back fractures and a concussion during a previous round in Phoenix, he showed tremendous will to compete at all. Despite still being in pain, he qualified in 10th place.
In the race, he passed his Penske teammate, Hélio Castroneves, for the lead with 31 laps to go and then held on for a memorable win.
De Ferran retired the following year and while he returned and formed his own team to successfully compete in sports cars in the American Le Mans series in 2008 and 2009 – winning five races from ten meetings in the latter – he hung then put the helmet on for good to take on management roles, including fielding his own IndyCar team in 2010.
As sporting director at McLaren between 2018 and 2021, he was invaluable in helping the F1 team turn around their fortunes from the worst run in their history at the end of the decade to third place in the Constructors' Championship in 2020.
The team brought him back as a consultant this year and paid tribute to their colleague on Saturday. “Gil was an important and integral part of our racing team,” McLaren said in a statement.
“He was a formidable force on and off the track and had a lasting impact on all who raced and worked alongside him. He will be missed by everyone at McLaren Racing.”