Monday, May 26, 2003
MODERATOR: Good morning, Gil.
de FERRAN: Good morning, sir.
MODERATOR: Congratulations. I want to remind everybody that Gil's press conference this morning is being transcribed. So still need to get the mike to you if I possibly can. What have the last 15, 18 hours been like, Gil?
de FERRAN: Yeah, I tell you, it's been unbelievable. No, it's been incredible. You know, nonstop really. I mean, I hardly had time to really take it all in and realize what has been going on. It's just been one thing after the other. I'm really still sort of floating in the air. Haven't really sat down and said, "Oh, my God, you know, this is really happening." So I don't know. I think it will take a few days.
MODERATOR: I'm curious, did you get any sleep last night?
de FERRAN: Not very much. Not very much. Probably about three or four hours, but I'm all right.
MODERATOR: Let's get questions.
Q: Gil, going back to the accident, how did that play on your mind, thinking that you might not be able to get to the '500' and now you have turned around and won it?
de FERRAN: Well, I'm a big believer that you shouldn't worry about things that you don't control, you know? And so certainly when I was sitting in - I should say lying in - hospital there on that Sunday night after the accident, for me it was a matter of taking things one step at a time. You know, I had the doctors telling me on the subsequent days that I had yet another concussion and broke a couple of vertebras, and at that point I didn't really know what was going to happen. And priority number one in my mind was just to get myself fit again, get my head straight, get my bones healed, just one step at a time. And I think that kind of serves me well anyway.
Q: Gil, I'm going to be doing a story for Brazil Magazine on the history of Brazilian racing and Brazil's love affair with racing. I think people in the United States are beginning to understand just how significant that is. Now that you've got a role, a place in that history that is a significant one, I have really kind of a two-part question. One, if you can relate to me something about the history of racing in Brazil that stands out in your mind as sort of a watershed moment in that history for establishing Brazilians in the racing community, whether it was Senna or Fittipaldi? And then secondly, I'm curious to know about your own place in that history now. The Brazilians don't seem to understand Indy open-wheel the way that they do Formula One. It hasn't gained the same kind of popularity. What do you think is going to happen with that?
de FERRAN: Well, I think the number-one part of your question, I would say there now has become a tradition of having Brazilian drivers in the forefront of international motorsports that really started with Emerson. I think it cascaded from there. Emerson inspired a new generation, which included Nelson Piquet, that inspired yet another generation that included Ayrton Senna, you know, and Ayrton was certainly the most inspiring of all. If you ever watched Ayrton drive, it was just an awesome sight. I certainly had the privilege to watch him drive and it was really captivating. It was an awesome sight to see. As far as my own place in the history of motorsports or within that tradition, it's really for all of us to decide, not really for me. All I worry about is doing a good job on Sunday afternoons and, you know, let the rest follow through.
Q: Gil, Michael Andretti has been one of the most dominant figures in this sport for about the last 20 years, give or take, that's arguable, but yet never won this race. Some people think that that really is just the near great, not a great. Could you put that in perspective with this win and your career?
de FERRAN: Well, I think regardless of the fact that Michael did or did not win this race, I think he certainly stands in the - he obviously retired yesterday - he always will stand as one of the greatest drivers of this sport along with his dad. I have a lot of admiration for Michael. I raced against him for many, many years and I've seen him do some incredible things. And Michael does certainly have a very high place in our history, in the history of our sport.
Q: Did you talk to him after the race?
de FERRAN: No, not after the race. I talked to him before the race. I asked him, I said: "How are you feeling? How does it feel?" you know. He said, "I'm focused on the race." I said, "I guess it's going to be a lot different Monday morning," and he said, "Yeah, I think that's right."
Q: Gil, you said yesterday there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes at Penske to get you to the point on Sunday. Could you explain a few of those, share a few thoughts?
de FERRAN: Sure. It was late March when we decided that maybe there is an advantage to having the (Panoz) G Force, you know, and we had to make that call relatively early. So it was late March that they started to work on the possibility of bringing the G Force chassis here to Indy, as well as the Dallara that we were using. So to see that all coming together, I mean, because it's not simply like going to the shop and saying, "OK, give me one of those and put it over there on show." I mean, there's a whole logistical issue with spare parts for all the cars. And certainly to have a real choice, you have to have four running cars because if Helio happened to choose the same thing. So basically they had to prepare eight cars coming into this event. And bear in mind that I nearly destroyed one car in Phoenix, and Helio nearly destroyed one car in Japan. There was an awesome amount of work going on in the background. To put that together with the fact that we build our own engines and we need a lot of engines for, you know, a lot of the Toyota engines for the month of May, just seeing all this come together from our organization and logistics was really incredible because they were developing, trying to develop and understand two types of cars, putting in enough parts and everything together to run two types of cars. It's really unbelievable to see it all coming together. I mean, these guys, they usually work hard, but from really late March all the way throughout this month, the hours that they put in, they were even more than normal.
Q: Gil, is Indianapolis still a month-long event? Should it be a month-long event? And if so, what can they do to make it more compelling and vibrant for the fans throughout the course of those 30 days?
de FERRAN: Well, I tell you, I'm sort of a traditionalist, I guess I would classify myself. So I guess an event like Indianapolis is a very traditional event and has been run a certain way throughout its history with few modifications. And I am not a believer in changing things around just to spice up the show. I don't think that that's a good thing to do, you know. The sport is the way it is, and some people like it, and some people don't. That's their problem. I don't believe you should mess with the sport, you know, to make it look more interesting or anything like that. There will be days when there will be an amazing show, and there will be other days that perhaps it won't be quite as amazing. But that's the way the sport is, and that's what makes it a sport, not just show business.
MODERATOR: Gil, could you talk a little bit about the addition of Tim Cindric and what that has meant over the last three years to the team?
de FERRAN: Oh, let me tell you, Tim is a remarkable man for his young age. I mean, he's my age, I think, maybe even a little bit younger. He's a tremendous leader, you know, extremely mature. He always has a unique perspective to everything that's going on. He really has done a tremendous job organizing all the human powerhouse that Penske Racing is, because you get so many smart people and that group has so much power that I think you need to put everybody going in the same direction at the same time. And Tim has done an amazing job of doing all that. He's really essential to the success of our team.
Q: I don't know that you used the word "relief" in regards to this victory yet, but are you relieved by this? Is there any sense of if nothing else happens in the rest of your career, that you've done this?
de FERRAN: No, I guess I haven't used the word "relief" because I don't feel relief, you know. I mean, it's, I don't know, how can I say? I was not searching for "relief," let me put it this way. I guess that's why I don't feel it. I think for me it's always been a dream of pushing myself further, and certainly the only way you have to measure this is by new and greater accomplishments. Certainly the Indy 500 is as great an accomplishment as one could hope for. That's how I conducted my life, you know. It's pushing the boundaries more and more and more and more and more. I enjoy that process. You know, it's not like, OK, once I get there, OK, I'm done now. It hasn't been that way for me. I don't know. That's not how I think about it.
MODERATOR: And you're not done now in terms of a career.
de FERRAN: I think I'm not. Only my heart will tell me. When I told you that I was open-minded when I came here on Opening Day, what I meant by that is when I drive I'm happy. You know, I enjoy the sensation of driving. I enjoy challenging myself, and that's why I race, and that's why I drive. I really get a thrill out of it. A good thrill, not a bad thrill, you know. I think as long as I feel that, life as a race car driver will go on. I think the moment that I sit in the car and I'm like, "Yeah, that was OK," you know, and the moment that I start to get worse I think is when I should seriously consider what I'm going to do next. But really, I think it comes from inside. It doesn't come from my head, believe it or not, it comes from my heart, I think.
Q: Gil, continuing that theme, though, you're a family man.
de FERRAN: Yes.
Q: You're deeply into that. This is an inherently risky business, you've had a couple of severe crashes. You've pretty much achieved what you can achieve, except more of them. So is it worth what you're talking about, just having fun and going on?
de FERRAN: So far it has been worth it. Certainly it's a risky business, there's no doubt about that. I have recent memory to prove that. But like I said, I still sat in the car on Sunday, Opening Day on Sunday, I didn't feel good. I just wasn't driving well. It just wasn't clicking, and I wasn't having a particularly good time. Then on Monday everything just came together again. I had a good feel for the car, and I was enjoying myself again. And it's really a matter of enjoyment. I think as long as I feel that enjoyment, life will go on as normal. You know, if I'm tense, if I'm fearful and afraid of what happened to me and to my loved ones really, that's a bad sign.
Q: So does this, I guess along with your two CART titles, does this more than make up for or perhaps is even better than making it in Formula One?
de FERRAN: I don't know. Somebody asked me that yesterday, said, "What is left to accomplish as a race car driver?" I said, "All I have to do now is beat Michael Schumacher." Maybe I'm a little old for that now, I don't know. For me it's not about history books, you know, and beating your records and achieving new heights. It's me against me. It's how far can I go. It will be what it will be, you know. And right now it keeps going.
Q: One more along that theme of future. How much has the thought of retirement, though, crept in? Can you envision not being back here next year to defend your victory?
de FERRAN: It's too early to say that. I mean, right now I'm savoring my moment here.
MODERATOR: Gil, I'm interested, about the only alone time to yourself to celebrate this thing occurred after you took the checkered flag yesterday. You've been surrounded since, with the exception of when you were sleeping. Can you put us in that cockpit for that lap around the track by yourself and what goes through your head immediately after winning this race?
de FERRAN: Those are very special moments for any driver. You know, for me you exercise so much restraint and I do that consciously, you know, because I think that's a better way. Throughout the month of May, and particularly on Race Day, you know, you try to really keep your emotions in check, try not to get over-excited or depressed or whatever. Try to keep an even keel in your mind as rational as you possibly can have. Certainly there's a lot of emotions playing up there, suddenly coming back from the accident, the whole meaning of the Indy 500. There's a lot going on, but you really try hard to suppress everything so you have a clear mind and you can drive properly, you know. Not like an emotional wreck. When I crossed the line, there was so much going on, you just kind of let go for a moment and then all of a sudden it all comes flooding through. It was a special moment for me because it's all about dreams, it's all about desires that you have deep inside you, you know. They all come to the surface. It's a sense of accomplishment that really makes you feel good.
Q: Gil, speaking of dreams, are you incubating any dreams for the future that would involve another role such as being a team owner, developing talent in Brazil? If that's the case, would you see that being within Formula Indy or within another venue?
de FERRAN: Well, I don't know. It's funny, I think you have to have sort of a long-term plan. But it's important that you focus on the present, though, because if you live with your head in the future, that is probably not a good thing because you're not focusing on what the problems and the issues that you have at that moment in time just ahead of you. So really, I mean I've just been focusing on trying to do a good job as a race car driver for Penske Racing. Beyond that, it's been very difficult for me to decide what will be my next step if and when I stop racing. I mean, I've been so focused on this career ever since I was, I guess, I decided to have a proper go at it when I was 19. That's been my sole focus in life, is to become as good a driver as I could have, that I have not really spent any time or energy trying to create another avenue for me. And I think that in a way that has helped me. This total immersion into what I do, I think has helped me through the years, I guess. If and when I decide to stop, it will be when I start focusing on something else.
Q: Gil, knowing in a couple months you've always been a champion, you're going to be coming to Nazareth, Pennsylvania, to do a race. Compare Indy to Nazareth.
de FERRAN: Well, they have left turns and that's about the only similarity. I mean, Nazareth is a very unique racetrack, very unique indeed. It's got a unique layout, and it's probably one of the most challenging tracks we go to. I mean, to go fast around there is very difficult, and the race is always very busy. It's very unique.
Q: Gil, if we go back a little more than 24 hours and you're talking about emotions and keeping them in check, did you ever think you would wind up hanging on the wire like you did yesterday?
de FERRAN: I have to tell you, that was not a premeditated action there. It was interesting because we came back from the parade lap where I nearly lost my voice. And when we stopped over there, Helio came by to congratulate me, and all that kind of stuff. We exchanged some pleasantries as people do, and he walked away and I was being taken over somewhere else. Then the crowd on the, you know, just the other side of the fence, they were really cheering. At that moment I thought, "I know what I've got to do," you know, so I called him back over and said, "Man, come on, we've got to go." He was like, "OK, let's go." So I ran over there and went for it. It was a great moment. I think one, for sure, I will always remember. For Helio, he's been there three times. He climbed the fence three times, you know.
MODERATOR: Any other questions?
Q: You were talking about Nazareth, but any track after this, after 300,000, 400,000 people, whatever it is, and all this, how do you go to tracks like Nazareth and tracks where you know it doesn't have this buzz to it? What's your approach to it?
de FERRAN: Because it's racing and because it's driving and because it's, you know, for sure, coming over here and racing in front of 400,000 or 500,000 people, however many people are here throughout the month of May, is something extremely special. But in driving and in racing, there is a very selfish pleasure there, which is challenging yourself and just the pure pleasure of going around a turn at over 200 miles per hour and with the car right on the edge and sliding all the way through. I love it whether anybody is watching or not.
MODERATOR: Gil, did the disappointment of last year's race, clearly you had a car fast enough to win last year's race, did the disappointment of that stay with you very long or, methodical as you are, did it disappear fairly quickly?
de FERRAN: I have to say I was, you know - sad and disappointed is certainly a good word. But you can't … you've got to move on. You have to move on. I mean, there are things that happen, you know, they happened to me before and they will happen again. Certainly, to have that happen to you in the Indy 500 has a special, even heightened disappointment, but you've got to move on. I have a deep understanding of what goes on in the team. I know that these people try as hard as they can and they are fantastic guys. So it's just an error, you know, and I make errors myself. So I close that book and move on. This year I wasn't thinking about any of that. My thinking was, OK, let's just do a good job. What happened in 2001, 2002, really has no bearing on what will happen this year.
Q: Gil, knowing how popular F1 is in Brazil, is there any part of you that still regrets that that didn't work out? Obviously, at your age that boat has passed you by, but is there anything still inside of you that something is missing in your career?
de FERRAN: You know what? I love Formula One cars, I always will. To me, I look at them and they don't even need to move. Just standing still there, I look at them and (I'm) like, "Wow." And I always will. The way that my life went and my career went, it meant that I wasn't, you know, I never ended up having an opportunity or a good opportunity to drive a Formula One car. It may be that I never will. It's not something that I dwell on, you know, because I am very happy with the road that my career took. I have been able to drive with some of the best teams in the world, being associated with some unbelievable people. Certainly my latest ride here with Penske Racing and Roger and all the people is something that I will remember for several, several years. And certainly as I look back at my career, it's something that I will be very proud of. For me it's always been more about the team and the people that you work with than anything else. When people were talking to me about CART and IRL and before there was CART or Formula One, for me it was more a choice of people and team and the people that you're with than the series itself.
MODERATOR: Gil, congratulations. You're a great guy and quite a gentleman, and we appreciate what you've thrilled us with here.
de FERRAN: Thank you.
MODERATOR: I'm curious, Helio says that his face on the Borg-Warner Trophy looks like he's driving around the track at 230 miles an hour without his helmet on. Are you anxiously awaiting when that's unveiled a few months down the road?
de FERRAN: Yeah. I said to the guy, I said the only problem is the ticket next year will not look as good as the ticket this year, you know that, right? But there you go.
MODERATOR: Gil, thanks very much. Congratulations.
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