Site logo

De Ferran joins Formula E as Official Ambassador

NEWS STORY
12/08/2013

Gil de Ferran, two-time IndyCar champion and Indianapolis 500 race winner, has joined the FIA Formula E Championship as an Official Ambassador.

The 45-year-old Brazilian, who boasts more than two decades of top-level motorsport experience gained both on and off the track in Formula 1, IndyCar and the American Le Mans Series, will act as an advisor to the new Championship focusing on further enhancing the race format. In addition, de Ferran will also be an official spokesman for Formula E, particularly in North America, where interest in the series remains high following the recent announcement that leading IndyCar outfit Andretti Autosport will field a two-car team.

Residing in the US for nearly two decades, de Ferran began racing in 1980 in his native Brazil, quickly establishing himself as a leading driver by winning the British F3 Championship before becoming the fourth driver ever to win consecutive titles (2000 and 2001) in the US-based IndyCar Series and going on to win the 2003 Indianapolis 500. "The Professor", as he became known, still holds the world closed-course speed record of 241.426 mph set during qualifying for the 2000 finale at the California Speedway.

Adding to his diverse motorsport resume, post-retirement de Ferran became Honda Racing F1 Team Sporting Director and also contributes as an ABC/ESPN expert on-air analyst for IndyCar. He subsequently founded his own team De Ferran Motorsports which he ran and helped develop the innovative ACURA ARX2a. The team also entered IndyCar for one season, when he was an integral member of the ICONIC committee, which helped set the course for the future of IndyCar. Recently, de Ferran returned to the booth to help NBC Sports IndyCar coverage and is an active consultant in the field of Motorsports and Automotive Industry.

"Electric vehicles are undoubtedly playing an increasing role in the transportation landscape worldwide and as such, electric car racing will provide the perfect platform to help accelerate the development of relevant technologies and showcase the potential in an exciting way," said de Ferran. "The FIA Formula E Championship is the leading global initiative in electric car racing and I am thrilled and honoured to be able to lend my expertise to this exciting and ground breaking endeavour."

"We are delighted to welcome Gil to the FIA Formula E Championship," said Alejandro Agag, CEO of Championship promoter Formula E Holdings. "His passion for our series and the promotion of sustainable mobility, coupled with his international recognition in the world of auto racing, will be an incredible asset in helping us grow our Championship. With two consecutive IndyCar titles to his name, not to mention winning the Indy 500, his proven experience will help us fine-tune the format of the series and attract top-level drivers whilst delivering a great spectacle to the fans."

The news comes just days after FOX Sports, one of the largest global sports networks, revealed it has signed a multi-year, international multi-media deal with Formula E, a move predicted by Pitpass back in March.

"This series makes racing very relevant well into the future," said Carlos Martinez, President Latin America for FOX International Channels, who helped broker the deal. "With a global approach to acquiring knowledge and fast-tracking technology through the world of international racing competition, the FIA Formula E Championship is much more than just another weekend at the track… it makes racing an integral part of solving one of the world’s most daunting challenges and we are thrilled to be a part of that process."

As well as full US broadcast exclusivity across the FOX family of networks, including FOX Sports 1, America’s new sports network set to launch on August 17th, FOX Sports also has exclusive and non-exclusive rights in more than 80 territories including Canada, Latin America/Caribbean, Netherlands, Italy, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, key Asian territories and other areas of Asia, India and Africa. The deal, across all territories, includes exclusive and non-exclusive on-line and mobile transmission rights.

"We are very proud to announce this major agreement between FOX and the FIA Formula E Championship and to be partnering a truly global organization that fully believes in the future of racing," said Alejandro Agag. "This global broadcasting deal will bring our Championship to nearly 90 countries and a potential 180 million households worldwide, giving our partners, our teams, and our team’s partners a platform to visualize the association to the values of this competition. We are particularly happy to join FOX at the time when FOX Sports 1 is being launched. America is a key market for electric cars and to show our races live in the US will be central to promoting this type of mobility."

LATEST NEWS

more news >

RELATED ARTICLES

LATEST IMAGES

galleries >

  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images

POST A COMMENT

or Register for a Pitpass ID to have your say

Please note that all posts are reactively moderated and must adhere to the site's posting rules and etiquette.

Post your comment

READERS COMMENTS

 

No comments posted as yet, would you like to be the first to have your say?

Share this page

X

Copyright © Pitpass 2002 - 2024. All rights reserved.

about us  |  advertise  |  contact  |  privacy & security  |  rss  |  terms