"Gil de Ferran, a French-Brazilian racing driver and team owner, achieved significant success in motorsports. He secured Champ Car championships in 2000 and 2001 with Team Penske and emerged victorious at the 2003 Indianapolis 500. De Ferran also showcased his skills as a team owner, guiding his team, de Ferran Motorsports, to a second-place finish in the American Le Mans Series LMP1 class in 2009."
November 1967: Birth
Gil de Ferran was born in November 1967.
November 1967: Birth
Gil de Ferran was born on November 11, 1967, in Paris, France.
1987: Formula Ford Champion
Inspired by Emerson Fittipaldi, Gil de Ferran began kart racing in the 1980s and won the Formula Ford championship in Brazil in 1987.
1991: British Formula Three Debut
Gil de Ferran made his debut in the Formula Three class in 1991 and finished third in the British Formula Three season while driving for Edenbridge Racing.
1992: British Formula Three Champion
Gil de Ferran joined Paul Stewart Racing and won the British Formula Three championship in 1992, achieving seven victories during the season.
1993: International Formula 3000 Debut
Gil de Ferran started driving for Paul Stewart Racing in the International Formula 3000 in 1993 and finished fifth in the series. He also had an unsuccessful test for the Footwork Arrows Formula One team that year, during which he sustained a head injury.
1994: International Formula 3000
Gil de Ferran continued to race in the International Formula 3000 with Paul Stewart Racing in 1994, finishing third in the championship.
1994: CART Testing
Gil de Ferran participated in a CART IndyCar test with Hall/VDS Racing in 1994, impressing the team enough to earn a drive for the following season.
1995: CART Debut and First Win
Gil de Ferran made his CART debut in 1995 with Hall/VDS Racing, securing his first win at Laguna Seca Raceway in the final race of the season. He was also named the PPG Indy Car World Series Rookie of the Year.
1995: First Win Since Early 1995
Gil de Ferran's win at Portland in 1999 marked the first victory for the Walker Racing team since early 1995.
1996: First Win Since 1996
Gil de Ferran's win at Portland in 1999 marked his first victory since his win at Cleveland in 1996.
1996: Cleveland Grand Prix Victory
Gil de Ferran achieved a single win in the 1996 CART season at the Cleveland Grand Prix, which was also the final victory for car owner and driver Jim Hall before his retirement from the sport.
1997: CART Championship Runner-Up
Gil de Ferran joined Walker Racing in 1997 and finished as the runner-up in the CART championship to Alex Zanardi. Despite a consistent season with twelve top-ten finishes, he did not secure a race win.
1998: Difficult Season
Gil de Ferran faced challenges in the 1998 CART season due to car reliability issues, driver errors, and the poor performance of Goodyear tires compared to Firestone tires. He finished 12th in the standings without any wins.
1999: Portland Victory and Move to Penske
Gil de Ferran secured his first victory since 1996 at Portland International Raceway in 1999 while driving for Walker Racing. Later that year, he signed with Marlboro Team Penske alongside Greg Moore. However, Moore tragically passed away in a crash at the season finale, and Hélio Castroneves replaced him.
October 2000: Speed Record and Championship Win
During CART qualifying at California Speedway in Fontana, Gil de Ferran set both the track record and closed course record for the fastest lap at 241.428 mph (388.541 km/h) in October 2000. He went on to win the CART championship that same month at Fontana.
2000: CART Championship Win
Gil de Ferran won the CART Championship in 2000.
2000: CART Champion
Gil de Ferran won the CART championship in 2000 while driving for Team Penske.
2001: CART Champion
Gil de Ferran secured his second consecutive CART championship in 2001 with Team Penske.
2003: Indianapolis 500 Win and Injury
Gil de Ferran experienced both triumph and setback in 2003. He suffered a broken back in a race at Phoenix but recovered to win the Indianapolis 500, overtaking his teammate Hélio Castroneves in the closing stages. This victory marked the second 1-2 finish for Penske Racing in the Indianapolis 500.
2003: Retirement and Final Victory
After winning the Indianapolis 500, Gil de Ferran decided to retire at the end of the 2003 season. He won his final race at Texas Motor Speedway, but the event was overshadowed by a crash that seriously injured fellow Indy 500 winner Kenny Bräck. De Ferran concluded the season as the runner-up to Scott Dixon in the championship standings.
2003: Indianapolis 500 Winner
Gil de Ferran emerged victorious at the Indianapolis 500 in 2003.
2005: Formula One Sports Director
After retiring from racing, Gil de Ferran transitioned into a management role, joining the BAR-Honda Formula One team as their Sports Director in 2005.
July 2007: Resignation from BAR-Honda
Gil de Ferran resigned from his position as Sports Director at BAR-Honda in July 2007, citing discomfort with the team's direction.
January 2008: Return to Racing
In January 2008, Gil de Ferran announced his return to racing and his intention to field a factory-backed Acura ARX-01b prototype in the American Le Mans Series with his team, de Ferran Motorsports. He shared driving duties with Simon Pagenaud.
August 2009: Retirement Announcement
Gil de Ferran announced his retirement from racing in August 2009 to focus on his team and return to IndyCar racing as a team owner.
2009: American Le Mans Series Runner-Up
Gil de Ferran finished as the runner-up in the American Le Mans Series LMP1 class with his own team, de Ferran Motorsports, in 2009.
2009: American Le Mans Series LMP1
In 2009, de Ferran Motorsports, with Gil de Ferran at the helm, was selected by Honda to develop and race the Acura ARX-02a in the LMP1 class of the American Le Mans Series. The team achieved five wins and seven pole positions, ultimately finishing as runners-up in the championship.
2010: De Ferran Dragon Racing
De Ferran merged his team with Luczo Dragon Racing to form de Ferran Dragon Racing. The team, with driver Raphael Matos, achieved four Top Ten finishes in its first season and placed seventeenth in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. De Ferran also contributed to the ICONIC committee for the development of a new IndyCar concept set to debut in 2012.
2011: Closure of De Ferran Dragon Racing
De Ferran Dragon Racing ceased operations in 2011 due to a lack of sponsorship, despite efforts to remain active for the upcoming season.
2012: IndyCar New Car Debut
The new IndyCar concept that Gil de Ferran helped develop as part of the ICONIC committee debuted in 2012.
July 2013: Autosport Magazine Recognition
In July 2013, Autosport magazine included Gil de Ferran in their list of the 50 greatest drivers who never had the opportunity to race in Formula One.
July 2018: McLaren Sporting Director
Gil de Ferran returned to Formula One in July 2018, taking on the role of Sporting Director for McLaren after Eric Boullier's departure.
2021: Departure from McLaren
Gil de Ferran left his position at McLaren in early 2021.
December 2022: Fastest Qualifying Lap Record
As of December 2022, Gil de Ferran's qualifying lap speed from October 2000 at California Speedway remained the fastest ever recorded at an official race meeting.
May 2023: McLaren Consultant Advisory Role
In May 2023, McLaren brought Gil de Ferran back in a consultant advisory capacity as part of the team's restructuring process.
December 2023: Death
Gil de Ferran passed away in December 2023.
December 2023: Death
Gil de Ferran passed away on December 29, 2023, at the age of 56. He suffered a heart attack while driving with his son at a private event held at The Concours Club in Opa-locka, Florida.