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Professor Sid Watkins passes away

by Abhishek Nigam Posted on 14 Sep 2012 16 Views

The doctor of F1 who was known to spearhead the motorsports safety campaigns passed away at the age of 84

He was known for his efforts to improve safety in the dangerous world of Formula 1, however while he was successful in implementing safety in F1 he lost his fight against cancer and recently passed away after celebrating his 84th birthday. The renowned neurosurgeon spent 26 years as the FIA's safety and medical delegate to the top flight and, as head of the sport's on-track medical team, was often first on the scene at some of its worst accidents. He was rightly acclaimed for saving the lives of some of F1's biggest names, as he was for his efforts to advance the sport's safety record through three of its most notorious decades.

During his time as the sport's official doctor, Watkins treated - and saved - many of its biggest names. While his relationship with Senna was well-known, the likes of Mika Hakkinen, Martin Donnelly, Rubens Barrichello, Gerhard Berger, Nelson Piquet and Didier Pironi all had reason to be grateful for Watkins’ presence.

Among the recognition Watkins attracted for his contribution to the sport were the FIA Academy Gold Medal for Motor Sport (2011), the Mario Andretti Award for Medical Excellence (1996) and special award for ‘Most Outstanding Contribution to the Motorsport Industry’ (2008). He was also made a member of the Order of the British Empire in 2002, while the University of Liverpool presented him with an honorary doctorate in 2004. It is indeed a great loss and F1 will definitely feel the emptiness.