McLaren chief gives heartfelt toast to Gil de Ferran amid team celebrations

After a successful campaign at the Singapore Grand Prix, McLaren earned the 2025 constructors' championship. But topping off the celebrations, chief operating officer Piers Thynne raised a toast to the late Gil de Ferran in a heartfelt nod to his former colleague.

In a video posted to X, Thynne told staff, "I recall extremely clearly our very, very dear friend who was part of starting our culture, Gil.

"He said to me, the Christmas before his passing: 'Piers, what is absolutely fantastic is this team has all of the ingredients to get it right. All you need to do is get the recipe right.'

"And thank you very much to each and every one of you for getting the recipe right, not only last year but this year, and we will certainly need to evolve that recipe looking into the next era of Formula 1. But just to end on, I’d like to raise a toast on getting the recipe right."

The speech was met with cheers from the squad. 

De Ferran, a two-time Champ Car champion and the 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner, served as the team's sporting director and later an adviser before he died in 2023, aged 56. 

"I am shocked and devastated to hear of the loss of our great friend and teammate," McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said at the time. 

“I’ve raced with Gil all over the world and watched him win some of the biggest races. He’s been a great friend for over 20 years and will be greatly missed and never forgotten.”

With the team now finding success once more in the championship, de Ferran has been once again credited with helping in this return to the top. This year has seen a large haul of wins for drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, with McLaren leading Mercedes by 325 points. 

And while the battle between its two drivers is becoming more and more heated, with Piastri leading his team-mate by just 22 points, they sit comfortably ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, with Norris 41 points clear.