The Grand Prix Drivers Club is saddened by the passing of Hernano “Nano” Da Silva Ramos on Monday, May 4 2026, at the age of 100.
Only a few months ago, we celebrated his 100th birthday.
Though born in Brazil, he lived for most of his life in Paris and was brought into Formula 1 by Amedee Gordini seventy-two years ago in the Dutch Grand Prix, and so was also the oldest surviving Formula 1 driver.
His friendship with another former Grand Prix Drivers Club member, the late Mike Sparken, saw him drive Mike’s Aston Martin in a few events before taking things further. He won the Rallye de Sable in 1953, driving the DB2
He made his debut at Le Mans in 1954, sharing an Aston Martin DB2/4 owned by Jean-Paul Colas, but never had any great luck with the cars he raced there.
In 1958, he bought a Scaglietti-bodied Ferrari 20GT (0749GT), and in November that year, he and Jean Behra won the Venezuelan sports car grand prix with the Ferrari.
He was brought into the Scuderia Ferrari team, sharing a 250TR Fantuzzi spyder at the Le Mans test day as well as a Ferrari Dino 196S. For the race itself, he was chosen to drive the Fantuzzi car, but the car retired with overheating, and his final sports car event was the Tour De France in 1959, when he shared Jean Estager’s Mark 1 Jaguar 3.4 in the event and won the Touring car class.
Nano was always very cheerful and was happy and content he not only drove in but lived through one of the most dangerous era’s in motor racing.
The Grand Prix Drivers Club sends condolences to Nano’s family on their sad loss.
Graham Gauld