That may, or may not mean anything to you; it depends on whether or not you have knowledge of F1. Without Sid, F1 would not be as safe as it is today, working practices for track side safety would not be as they are.
I am going to try not to mourn his death, but celebrate his life for the 84 year old was a great man who pushed hard for improvements to safety on the track and worked hard at his ‘day job’ at Whitechapel Hospital in London.
The Prof, or Sid as he liked to be known, was a neurosurgeon to trade and as such founded the Brain and Spine Foundation to help people with disorders that affected the brain and spine.
Sid’s story goes way back before that though, all the way to Brands Hatch in 1961 where he spent his free time being a trackside doctor. In the early days when he began working with Bernie Ecclestone at formula one, he would often bring his own medical supplies as the ones supplied at the track were few and far between. A far cry from today, I’m sure you’ll agree.
I celebrate his life, Sid Watkins, the man who looked after the people who lived and raced in the fast lane, but Ill leave you with a quote from Ron Dennis "Today the world of motor racing lost one of it's true greats," said McLaren chairman and former team principal Ron Dennis, whose cars took Senna to all of his titles, in a statement.
"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 Formula One 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."
Says it all really.
