Oldest Living F1 Driver Dies at 100, Leaving a Lasting Legacy

Hermano da Silva Ramos, the oldest living former Formula 1 driver, has died in France at the age of 100. Born in Paris on December 7, 1925, he spans F1’s earliest era.

Ramos starts seven world championship Grands Prix across 1955-56 with Gordini. His standout result is fifth at the 1956 Monaco Grand Prix, yielding two points under the era’s scoring.

His final start comes at the 1956 Italian Grand Prix, curtailed after three laps by engine failure. That retirement reflects Gordini’s resource constraints and the mechanical attrition typical of the period.

Beyond F1, Ramos contests marquee endurance and road races, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Italy’s Mille Miglia. Those outings underline a versatile career shaped by varied machinery and formats.

He assumes the status of F1’s oldest living driver on April 8, 2023, following the death of Kenneth McAlpine, who reaches 102 and remains the championship’s longest-lived competitor.

Only two former F1 drivers reach 100: Paul Pietsch, who starts three races from 1950-52, and McAlpine. Ramos becomes the third to attain the milestone.

With Ramos’s passing, that distinction moves to Britain’s John Rhodes, born August 18, 1927. Rhodes makes a single world championship start at the 1965 British Grand Prix.

The oldest living Grand Prix winner and world champion is Sir Jackie Stewart. The triple champion, last of the 1960s title winners, is 86 years, 10 months, and 25 days old.

Ramos’s death closes another link to F1’s formative decade. His results with Gordini, delivered against powerful factory opposition, remain a concise measure of craft and resilience.

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Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.