Harvey Postlethwaite Dies Of Heart Attack.

Formula One is reeling at the death yesterday [Tuesday] of Harvey Postlethwaite, the former Tyrrell and Ferrari designer.


A Honda team spokesman said that Postlethwaite had begun to suffer chest pains while at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, and returned to his hotel, before being admitted to hospital where he died last night.


Postlethwaite, 55, was employed by the Honda team in charge of the programme designed to bring one of the world's biggest names back into Formula One. In a long and distinguished career, the Englishman also included spells with Hesketh, Sauber and Wolf, before returning to his spiritual home as managing director of Tyrrell.

Mike Gascoyne, the current Jordan designer who worked with Postlethwaite for seven years at Tyrrell, spoke of his sadness in a statement issued by his current employers: "Harvey was, above anything, a great friend and also a defining figure in my career, and the careers of many other young engineers. His infectious enthusiasm for both engineering and motorsport was an inspiration to all those who had the benefit of working with him. My thoughts and condolences are naturally with his family at this difficult time."


Eddie Jordan, owner of the Jordan team, said: "The news of Harvey's death has come as a great shock. We had been talking only recently about the new projects he was working on, and very excited about. Harvey was an academic and a true gentleman - this is a sad blow to Formula One."