Gil de Ferran, a veteran of CART and IndyCar in the 1990s and 2000s, passed away on Friday at the age of 56.
News broke of his passing late on December 29, and was quickly confirmed by his friends and colleagues in the racing world.
de Ferran was a veteran of multiple racing series, and continued to participate in various aspects of motorsports after retiring from driving.
He was often described as one of the most pleasant personalities in the paddock, and his untimely loss sent waves through the community.
“Everyone at McLaren Racing is shocked and deeply saddened to learn we have lost a beloved member of our McLaren family,” read a statement posted by McLaren. “We send our deepest condolences to Gil de Ferran’s family, friends and loved ones.
“Gil was an important and integral part of our Racing team. He was a formidable force on and off track and made a lasting impact on everyone racing and working alongside him. He will be missed by everyone at McLaren Racing.”
de Ferran began his professional racing career by competing in British Formula 3 and Formula 3000 before coming to America and switching to CART for the 1995 season.
The Brazilian won the final race of his rookie season, and eventually went on to claim seven victories and two CART championships across seven seasons.
Among his many accomplishments, de Ferran recorded the fastest ever timed lap in motor racing history.
The Brazilian qualified for the 2000 Marlboro 500 at Fontana Superspeedway with an average speed of 241.428 mph, a record that is still held today.
He switched to IndyCar full time with Team Penske for the 2002 season, and earned impressive results almost immediately.
2003 saw an Indy 500 win added to de Ferran’s accomplishments, and he just lost out on the championship to Scott Dixon, who earned his first IndyCar title that year.
de Ferran retired from open wheel driving at the end of that season and decided to take on other roles in the motorsports world. He served as the sporting director for BAR Honda, and later McLaren, broadening his skills in the process.
He also formed his own team, de Ferran Motorsports, in 2008, and fielded an LMP2 entry in the American Le Mans Series. He shared driving duties during two seasons of competition, earning five wins and a second place championship result in 2009.
de Ferran recently returned to McLaren in 2023 in an advisory role, and was present at the most recent Indy 500 where he worked with his friend Tony Kanaan in his final attempt at the great race.
The Associated Press reports that de Ferran suffered an apparent heart attack while racing at The Concourse Club in Florida, and could not be revived.
