The winner of the 2023 Indianapolis 500 died from a cardiac decompensation he suffered during a competition at The Concours Club circuit in Opa-Llocka.
Brazilian Gil de Ferran, winner of the 2023 Indianapolis 500 and two-time champion of the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) in the United States, died on Friday due to cardiac decompensation that he suffered during a competition at The Concours Club circuit in Opa-Llocka, in the state of Florida.
The 56-year-old driver, born in Paris but a Brazilian national, stopped his car due to chest pain and was immediately taken to a hospital, but the care received was not enough to save his life, US media reported today.
“We are terribly sad to learn of the tragic passing of Gil de Ferran,” his team posted at Indycar, Penske.
The Brazilian legend began his career in British Formula 3; He developed in the United States with two titles in CART (2000 and 2001) and a total of 12 victories in the IndyCar Series, of which he was runner-up in 2003.
He also raced in the American Le Mans Series, where he won five of the ten races contested in 2009 with his Ferran Motorsports Acura ARX-01b team.
De Ferran holds the record average speed on a closed circuit in history: 386 km/h at the California Speedway in October 2000.
In addition, he worked as sports director for the BAR-Honda Formula 1 team from 2005 to 2007 and then held the same position at McLaren (2018-2021), where he was boss of the two-time F1 world champion, the Spanish Fernando Alonso.
McLaren mourned his loss: “Gil was a beloved member of our family, an important and integral part of our racing team. He was a formidable force on and off the track and had a lasting impact on everyone who raced and worked under him. side”.
Source: Ambito
