Sudden death of Gil de Ferran shocks motorsport
As a driver, Gil de Ferran won the 500 miles of Indianapolis and twice the championship of the US CART series. He then worked in Formula 1 for BAR-Honda, Honda and McLaren. His sudden death has left motorsport in great mourning.
The motorsport world is mourning the death of former Brazilian Formula 1 sports director Gil de Ferran. The former winner of the legendary Indianapolis 500 miles suffered a heart attack on Friday at the age of 56 at a race track in Florida and subsequently died in hospital, the Brazilian Automobile Federation announced.
"Gil de Ferran was an important and essential part of our racing team and a huge force on and off the track," wrote the McLaren Formula 1 team. "His brilliant mind and unparalleled integrity have left a lasting impression on all who have had the privilege of racing and working with him." McLaren Managing Director Zak Brown wrote on X: "He was a great friend for more than 20 years and will be greatly missed and never forgotten." The next victory is for de Ferran.
He was Sports Director at McLaren from 2018 to 2021 and has been a consultant at the British team again since May. In his own racing career, he won the Indy 500 in 2003, among other races, and in the early 1990s he competed in junior classes with future Formula 1 race winners Rubens Barrichello and David Coulthard, among others. De Ferran himself completed test drives for the F1 team Arrows, among others, but it was not enough for a contract.
The Brazilian then switched to US motorsport and was crowned champion of the CART series in 2000 and 2001. From 2005 to 2007, de Ferran worked as sports director for the BAR-Honda Formula 1 racing team, which has since been known as Honda and Brawn and now competes as Mercedes-AMG. He returned to the American Le Mans Series as a driver in 2008 and won five races in the LMP1 class before his career finally ended in 2009. In 2013, Autosport magazine named him one of the 50 greatest drivers never to have competed in Formula 1.
"I am very shocked and deeply saddened by the news that we have lost Gil de Ferran," said Formula 1 Managing Director Stefano Domenicali at X. "He was an incredible person and a true champion and we will miss him very much. Our thoughts are with his family at this very sad time." The FIA also expressed its condolences.
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The tragic news of Gil de Ferran's passing has sent shockwaves through the Formula 1 community, as the highly respected motorsport figure died following a heart attack during a race weekend. Despite his successful career in Formula 1, with stints at BAR-Honda, Honda, and McLaren, Gil's impact extended beyond the world of F1, as evidenced by his championship wins in the US CART series and the Indianapolis 500.
Source: www.ntv.de
