Decades before Ayrton Senna would go on to win three World Championships and dominate Formula 1, there was Hermano da Silva Ramos, known to those closest to him simply as “Nano,” a French-Brazilian son of a Parisian mother and a Brazilian father, who carried two flags on his helmet and a continent’s racing dreams in his heart. One of the first to lay the foundation stone for Brazilians in the pinnacle of motorsport, his portfolio was never limited to a single series or a single country.

Hermano da Silva Ramos passes away

On May 4, 2026, the 100-year-old Da Silva Ramos passed away in Biarritz, France. He was the oldest living Formula 1 driver, having driven alongside some of the sport’s greatest. At the time of his death, he was also the last surviving F1 World Championship points scorer from the 1950s.

Ramos’ career began in his early 20s when he ran the Interlagos Grand Prix. Back in those days, there was no driver tunnel that supported drivers through the youngers years, as there is today.

In 1953, he began racing an Aston Martin DB2/4 in sports car races in France, a car he used not just on circuits but on public roads, using it for everyday driving and longer journeys. In 1954, Ramos finished the Paris Cup in second place and went on to win the Coupe de Montlhéry. That same year, he became the first Brazilian to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, entering alongside co-driver Jean-Paul Colas. Later that season, he led the Tour de France Auto before running out of fuel.

But his real breakthrough came in 1955, when he debuted in the Dutch Grand Prix. The race was still held at Zandvoort, but contrary to the track today, it stretched 2.6 miles (around 4 kilometers) at the time. Juan Manuel Fangio won the race that day after having clinched pole position; meanwhile, Hermano da Silva Ramos finished P8. This was still quite respectable, considering the poor reliability of the cars back in the day, which mostly resulted in DNFs. It also made him the third Brazilian ever to race in Formula 1, following Chico Landi and Gino Bianco.

In the span of two seasons, Ramos participated in seven Formula 1 World Championship races. His P5 finish at Monaco in 1956 became his best result in the sport, starting from 14th on the grid in his Gordini Type 16 and charging through the field on the streets of Monte Carlo, scoring just two championship points.

Those two points, modest as they appear, were enough to make him the Brazilian driver with the most Formula 1 World Championship points for 14 consecutive years, a record that stood until a young Emerson Fittipaldi arrived on the scene in 1970. But winning the title was never the priority. It was to represent his country, the country that would go on to produce some of the most competitive Formula 1 drivers in history, including the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, and Felipe Massa.

In the short time he raced in F1, Ramos shared the grid with some of the most notable drivers from the past, including Giuseppe Farina, Alberto Ascari, Mike Hawthorn, and even Jack Brabham. His legacy now continues to live on forever.

Fans pay their respects to Ramos

“RIP,” wrote Lucas Di Grassi, with praying hands and the Brazilian flag. He is one of the drivers with one of the most diverse portfolios. Through the years, he ran multiple series, including V8 Supercars, the WEC, and even a short stint in Formula 1. His strong runs in the GP2 Series in the late 2000s made him a promising prospect for open-wheel racing, and he most recently ran in Formula E. He was one of the Brazilian drivers who was positively affected by the butterfly effect that the likes of Hermanos da Silva Ramos triggered.

“Legend. Pioneers like him and Chico Landi opened the path for Brazilians to start competing in Formula 1 and motorsport overall,” wrote a fan. Chico Landi was another one of the pioneers to introduce Brazil to the world of motorsports. He made his F1 debut in ’51 with Francisco Landi. Running six races throughout his career with a P4 best finish, he was one of the first drivers from the country alongside Ramos.

“RIP. Imagine being able to say you got to race against Moss and Fangio and the like,” back in the 1950s, the grid was filled with drivers who were perhaps unaware that they were making history. F1 today is known as the pinnacle of racing and all of motorsports, and it was these legends who kick-started the reaction. Having shared the grid with them, Hermano da Silva Ramos became a legend himself.

“RIP. Also he was oldest F1 point scorer and if I am not wrong oldest LeMans driver,” noted another comment. Ramos’ participation in the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans also made him the oldest living driver of the race. Although his participation ended with a DNF, it was quite common at the time because of the poor reliability.

The initial decades of Formula 1 were no different than a few years of testing and understanding the sport. Like a fan wrote, “100.000 km/h. Gods of drive.” The technology was still being developed, which ultimately became the sport that F1 has become today. At the time, it was drivers like Hermano da Silva Ramos who allowed the sport to grow. To have lived throughout these years, watching the sport grow through the many regulations, Ramos will continue to live in the hearts of many.

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