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Cyril Blais, the Citroën Formula E team principal, has died at the age of 46.
His death was confirmed by Formula E and Citroën on Monday, just days before the Tokyo E-Prix, which hosts the 14th and 15th rounds of the season. Citroën is set to compete in the Japanese capital.
Blais had become one of the most respected figures in the Formula E paddock after building a career across several levels of single-seater racing. His passing is a major loss for the team and for the championship community.
Blais joined the outfit ahead of Season 8 as Lucas di Grassi’s race engineer, when the team was still known as Venturi. He then worked with Maximilian Günther for two seasons as the operation transitioned to Maserati.
Ahead of Season 10, Blais was promoted to chief engineer before becoming deputy team principal. He was subsequently appointed team principal, retaining the position as Maserati became Citroën.
In his role, Blais led the French marque and its drivers, Nick Cassidy and Jean-Éric Vergne. Away from the race team’s public responsibilities, he had also been preparing for Gen4 behind the scenes. His engineering achievements had previously earned him the championship’s Engineer of the Year award.
His motorsport career began in 2007 with Manor Motorsport, where he worked as a Formula 3 race engineer. He moved to Arden Motorsport in 2012 and spent seven years with the team, progressing from chief race engineer in GP3 to chief race engineer in Formula Renault 3.5. His final Arden position was technical director of its Formula 2 and Formula 3 programmes.
He entered the Formula E paddock in 2019 as a race engineer at Mahindra before moving to the Monaco-based outfit that would later become Citroën. His career reflected the depth of engineering experience that continues to shape single-seater racing, from junior categories to the championship’s leading electric series; recent Formula 3 coverage offers a separate look at that wider racing landscape.
Beth Paretta, Citroën Formula E director, said the team was “all so saddened to lose Cyril” and that it would honour his family’s wishes by continuing to race with the “exact dedication and passion he instilled in all of us”.
Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds described Blais as “an extraordinary colleague” and a friend to many across the paddock. The Citroën Racing Formula E Team and the wider Formula E community will pay tribute to his memory during the Tokyo E-Prix.
Formula Live Pulse extends its condolences to Blais’ family and friends.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.