Andy_Bangle Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 (edited) Sid Watkins 1928-2012 RIP -- Unsung hero and incredible man who put all his time and energy spent in to constantly improving the safety of F1 and saving countless lives. The use of the medical car at the start of the race was just one of his ideas that Sid implemented and has saved countless lives with his efforts. The 83-year-old, who was a close friend of the late Ayrton Senna, served as F1 medical delegate from 1978 until 2004. He played a major role in saving the lives of many F1 drivers after heavy crashes. Among them were Ferrari's Didier Pironi at the 1982 German Grand Prix, Jordan's Rubens Barrichello at Imola in 1994, McLaren's Mika Häkkinen at Adelaide in 1995 and saved Martin Brundle's left foot from being amputated. At the 1995 Australian Grand Prix, Mika Häkkinen crashed heavily during the Friday qualifying session at the Brewery Bend at high-speed due to a puncture having been sustained by his car. Häkkinen was immediately rendered unconscious but did not hit his head aganist the surrounding wall or cockpit. Two volunteer doctors, Jereme Lockins and Steve Lewis arrived at the scene in 15 seconds with Watkins arriving last and took the action of restarting Häkkinen's heart twice and performed a cricothyroidotomy at the side of the track which he later described as his most satisfying experience during his time in the sport. I read this article about The Prof at the weekend: Institute Quarterly If you have time it's a very interesting read. Now he can finally go fishing with Ayrton. Edited September 13, 2012 by Andy_Bangle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdiesel Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 RIP The hero that looked after my hero's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 What a legacy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 Read his book Life at the Limit: Triumph and Tragedy in Formula One a few years ago and that guy truly transformed the safety of F1 - excellent read - RIP Sid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarMad Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 RIP he certainly helped move safety on to a new level and saved many drivers directly and indirectly. I will have to have a look at that book, I've read plenty of the Ayrton books not his. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 Always remember him saying to Ayrton Senna to give it up and come fishing with him just before Senna crashed and died. A remarkable man. He will be sadly missed by many people including lots of drivers. His book is well worth a read. Say what you like about Ecelestone but he did implement most things that Sid Watkins asked him to do regarding updating safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theduisbergkid Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 RIP Sid, seemed like a genuinely brilliant bloke, he'll be missed. I heard that the Doctor who once cured Taka Inoue's athlete's foot got run over by a bus in Tokyo. Not a mention in the press. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazza_g Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 One of the true characters of F1, hope he's enjoying the fishing up there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamieg Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 RIP Sid - this man did an amazing job for all F1 drivers from Senna's day and onwards, F1 safer than ever even though faster than days gone by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted September 23, 2012 Report Share Posted September 23, 2012 Seb Vettel did a good thing to dedicate his Singapore GP win today to 'The Prof'. I stood up in front of the TV for the one minute's silence during the BBC1 coverage - It was the least I could do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinspark Posted September 23, 2012 Report Share Posted September 23, 2012 RIP Sid - this man did an amazing job for all F1 drivers from Senna's day and onwards, F1 safer than ever even though faster than days gone by. Not just from Senna's day - he was actively improving safety long before that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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