The 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner died on Friday while racing with his son, Luke, at The Concourse Club in Opa-Locka, Florida.
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The two were on a private course at the club when de Ferran pulled over and said he wasn’t feeling well.
Fellow driver Tony Kanaan said de Ferran suffered a heart attack and couldn’t be revived.
“We are terribly saddened to hear about the tragic loss of Gil de Ferran,” said Roger Penske, the owner of Team Penske and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Angela, Anna, Luke, and the entire de Ferran family.”
De Ferran won the Indy 500 for Team Penske, making it the third consecutive win in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” for Penske.
“Gil defined class as a driver and a gentleman. As an IndyCar Champion and an Indianapolis 500 winner, Gil accomplished so much during his career.
“He was beloved by so many and he was a great friend to the Team Penske family and to the entire international motorsports community. It’s a tragic loss and he will be deeply missed.”
Kanaan told The Associated Press that he was “devastated” over de Ferran’s death.
“He was one of my best friends and we grew up together and lately and we worked together at McLaren,” he told the outlet.
“In the beginning of this year, he was a mentor, helping me out. I lost a dear friend. I am devastated. I have to say, he went in Gil style, driving a racecar. If I could choose a way to go, that’s what I could do.”
Marco Andretti called de Ferran “One of the real ones.”
“One of the reasons for my F1 tests. Loved your passion and love for our sport, Thank you for what you contributed to my life,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
De Ferran was born on November 11, 1967, in Paris, France, and began his career in kart racing in the early 1980s.
He won the 2000 and 2001 Champ Car titles driving for Penske along with the 2003 Indy 500 with Penske.
De Ferran was also the runner-up in LMP1 class of the American le Mans Series in 2009 driving for his self-owned de Ferran Motorsports.
He sent the closed-course land speed record during CART with a lap of 241.428 mph at the California Speedway in 2000 – the feat still stands today.
He has won seven CART races and five IndyCar races, finishing second in the 2003 standings.
De Ferran joined Team Penske in 2000.
Fellow Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi inspired de Ferran to start his career in karting before going into the European ladder system.
He lost the British Formula Three title to Rubens Barrichello and David Coulthard in 1991 but would win the title the next season.
He is survived by his wife, Angela, and their two children Ana and Luke.
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