Lando Norris Leaves Fans Teary-Eyed With Touching Tribute to Lost McLaren Legend: “Gil Would’ve Loved To See This”

On December 29, 2023, the F1 community was shocked to learn about the tragic death of Gil de Ferran, the former sporting director of McLaren. After working with them from 2018 to 2021, the former Indianapolis 500 winner passed away at the age of 56. During that period, several drivers including Jenson Button, Damon Hill, and Martin Brundle honored De Ferran with social media posts. Now, Lando Norris has decided to honor de Ferran during the ongoing pre-season testing.

Norris revealed via his Twitter account that he will be donning a unique helmet during the test. He wrote,

“This is the design he won the Indy 500 with, and I’ll be wearing it today as my little way to say thank you for everything. And to let him know we’re thinking of him and he’s still very much part of McLaren. I hope you like it. This one is for you Gil.”

 

In addition, Norris mentioned how much fun and laughter he has had with the legendary man. He also mentioned in the note that De Ferran had supported him whenever he needed it, both on and off the track.

Fans react to Lando Norris’ emotional tribute to Gil de Ferran

In 2000 and 2001, De Ferran won two championships, while representing Team Penske. In addition, the French icon was also instrumental with Extreme E, as a cofounder and consultant for McLaren Racing. However, despite having a long list of on-track accomplishments, Ferran’s amiable demeanor made him well respected.

Perhaps this explains why a young driver like Norris feels such a strong bond with him. Norris even posted condolences for the veteran on Instagram at the time of Ferran’s death in December. He wrote, “Thanks for all of the amazing memories. I’ll miss you and you’ll be part of our team forever. RIP Gil.”

Still, it appears that Norris cannot move on from this unexpected news, which is why he dedicated the moving homage to De Ferran. Because of his actions, the whole Formula One fraternity has praised the 24-year-old on Twitter. Some reactions are given below.

While another admirer stated that Gil would have appreciated the lovely gesture after seeing it from heaven.