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  Thank you and goodbye Professor Sid Watkins OBE; F1's safety and medical pioneer dies aged 84 Back to results

Innovative F1 race doctor and first President of the FIA Institute, Professor Sid Watkins, passed away on 12 September 2012.  Safety Devices extends condolences to the Watkins family and friends.

"The neurosurgeon, who was a close friend of the late three-time champion Ayrton Senna, served as the sport's medical delegate from 1978 until 2004.

Watkins was instrumental in introducing many of the safety improvements in the sport during that period.

As trackside doctor, he played a major role in saving the lives of several grand prix 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 and McLaren's Mika Hakkinen at Adelaide in 1995.

(...).  He was appointed chairman of the FIA Expert Advisory Safety Committee, which was set up in 1994 following the deaths of Austrian Roland Ratzenberger and Senna on successive days after Barrichello's crash at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix."
- Andrew Benson, Chief F1 writer, BBC Sports News online, 13 September 2012

 

Read more about Professor Watkins' extraordinary contribution to the safety of motorsport on the BBC website here.

Read the FIA and FIA Institute's Statement of Condolence here.