A tribute to Prof Sid Watkins

Profesor Sid Watkins, the F1 doctor that Bernie Ecclestone brought into the sport and who not only tended after the drivers... but who also spearheaded the sport's safety campaign, has passed away. Sid had just turned 84.

Sid Watkins (1928-2012)

It would be safe to say that F1 as we know it today is partly due to Profesor Sid. Over the course of 26 years (1978-2004) as the FIA's safety and medical delegate and, head of the sport's on-track medical team, not only did he save the lives of amongst others, Mika Hakkinen, Martin Donnelly, Rubens Barichello, Gerhard Berger, Nelson Piquet and Didier Pironi, he also campaigned to improve safety for F1 drivers, officials and spectators around the world.

Motorsports in general owes a great deal to Profesor Sid when it comes to safety. In turn, he has been bestowed with many recognitions for his contribution to the sport. Amongst these are:
- FIA Academy Gold Medal for Motorsport (2011)
- Mario Andretti Award for Medical Excellence (1996)
- Special award for "Most Outstanding Contribution to the Motorsports Industry (2008)
- recognized as member of the Order of the British Empire (2002)
- honorary doctorate from the University of Livelpool (2004)

"Today [12 September 2012], the world of motor racing lost one of it's true greats", reflected McLaren's Ron Dennis. "No, he wasn't a driver. No, he wasn't an engineer. No, he wasn't a designer. He was a doctor and it's probably fair to say that he did more than anyone, over many years, to make F1 as safe as it is today. Many drivers and ex-drivers owe their lives to his careful and expert work, which resulted in the massive advances in safety levels that today's drivers possibly take for granted."

We send our condolences to Watkins' family and friends.

To revisit some of my earlier pieces on the profesor, please click on the desired link.
- Sid Watkins, Part 1: F1's Guardian Angel - the accomplishments,
- Sid Watkins, Part 2: F1's Guardian Angel - the lives saved and lost,
- Sid Watkins, Part 3: F1's Guardian Angel - the loss of his friend Ayrton

To visit FIA's statement of condolence, please click here.

Thanks for reading.

Source: FIA, Crash.net