“He captivated all of us”: When Helio Castroneves remembered Brazilian IndyCar legend Gil de Ferran

Helio Castroneves’ close friend and former IndyCar rival Gil de Ferran passed away on December 29, 2023. De Ferran was driving at a private event in Florida with his son when he suffered a heart attack that led to his demise. Castroneves spoke with IndyCar a couple of days after De Ferran’s death to offer his condolences and in remembrance of the fellow Brazilian driver.

Castroneves arrived on the IndyCar scene in the late 90s, a time when De Ferran was in his final few years of open-wheel racing. De Ferran was experienced, calculated, and serious in making his decisions while the young Castroneves said people thought he was funny. However, Helio recalled how his friend De Ferran tried to act funny and it often backfired for the Brazilian.

He said (via IndyCar):

“I was the one people thought was being funny. Gil often was trying to be funny, but it was not working for him, which turned out to be really funny! With the way he was, he captivated all of us.”

Gil de Ferran won the CART championship in 2000 and 2001, a time when Castroneves was his teammate. Over time, the compatriots grew closer and Castroneves started referring to the two-time IndyCar champion as his brother.

“We talked almost every day, and it was more about life than racing. He gave me some of the best life advice anyone has ever given me. I met so many friends through him. It’s been super cool having him in my life,” said Castroneves.

“My wife (Adriana) and Angela (de Ferran’s wife) became so well connected because Gil had always been my friend, and Luke (their son) worked out with me for a long time. Angela, Anna (their daughter) and Luke are so much a part of my family,” he added.

The success with Team Penske on the track brought the duo closer off the track. Helio Castroneves shifted to Fort Lauderdale in the early 2010s and lived within walking distance from De Ferran's home.

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Helio Castroneves recalls his first meeting with Gil de Ferran

Helio Castroneves and the veteran Gil De Ferran were at Team Penske during the 2000 CART (now IndyCar) season. The Brazilian recalled his first meeting with De Ferran as a teammate and said it lasted for almost 2 hours. Castroneves said,

“My memories with Gil is from the beginning of our era with Team Penske, [it] was us having our first meeting, which took us about an hour and 45 minutes, which means Gil was [talking for] an hour and 40, and mine was five minutes.”

“Certainly, his personality was completely different than mine. Even though he's trying to be funny, which he wasn't funny, became funny. He was one of those guys – big heart, very, very intense, incredible knowledge, and yeah, we had a lot of good moments,” he added.

Following De Ferran’s death, Castroneves spent New Year's Eve last year at the two-time IndyCar champion’s house. The Brazilian also paid tribute to De Ferran at the 2024 Indy 500.