Vergne leads tributes after death of Formula E race engineer Tortosa

DS Techeetah announced on Thursday afternoon that Tortosa had “passed away suddenly” on Tuesday 21 September 2021 at the age of 49.

Tortosa was promoted to chief strategist last season after working directly with Vergne as a race engineer between 2016 and 2020.

He played a key role in helping Vergne and the Chinese-based squad secure back-to-back Formula E drivers’ and teams’ titles in season four and season five.

“It was really heart-breaking for me to receive the news of Pascal’s passing,” said Vergne.

"He wasn’t just my Race Engineer but my friend and we shared the passion to win. It was like he was in the car with me on every lap as I drove to my two championships.

“I am so pleased that Pascal and I had such great success together – I will dearly miss him and I send my deepest sympathies to his family and loved ones at this difficult time.”

DS Techeetah race director Leo Thomas also paid tribute to Tortosa, who was one of the founding members of the engineering team.

“Pascal was not only a colleague but a friend to many of us,” Thomas said.

“He’s been in the team since day one, was a key element of defining the DNA of what is now Techeetah and played a major role in JEV’s titles.

“He will be deeply missed within our team. We will race for his memory and to make him and his family proud of us.

Crash.net sends its condolences to the DS Techeetah team as well as Tortosa’s family and friends.