'The Prof' Sid Watkins RIP

Infoanon

Sad news this evening that Professor Sid Watkins has passed away.

F1's very own 'Prof' saved so many lifes and did so much to improve driver safety over the years.

RIP : Sid Watkins 1928 - 2012

Grim.

Very sad news, Professor Sid Watkins was probably one of the most important people in Motorsports history.

R.I.P

Rascasse

Very sad. He really made F1 safer in the years he was involved.

Didnt Brundle bump in to him during a grid walk this season?

Edit: Yep, he was on the grid at Silverstone. Apparently after speaking to him Brundle said "I wouldn't have a left foot if it wasn't for Sid. They were going to take it off, if he hadn't stopped them".

Veloce

Hopefully somewhere up there, himself and Ayrton can go fishing together. RIP Sid.

Ghost Train

Sorry to hear that, RIP, think he on bbc during british grand prix weekend

Larbre34

Universally respected and admired in motorsport, itself a feat.

RIP Prof Sid, you left a big mark.

h3000

R.I.P

He done so much work to make motorsport safer.

Rascasse

Nice anecdotes/reminiscences from Gary Hartstein, the current F1 Doc on his Twitter - www.Twitter.com/f1doc


On mobile now or I would post them here

carryharry

Sad to hear of Sid's passing. For anyone who saw the Senna movie, they can understand the bond he had with the drivers and the respect he demanded.

Nice line on twitter from Rubens Barrichello

Rubens Barrichello ‏rubarrichello
It was Sid Watkins that saved my life in Imola 94.great guy to be with,always happy...tks for everything u have done for us drivers.RIP


RIP Sid, a true F1 Legend.:(

mike65

Almost certainly saved more lives than anyone or anything else as without his attitude the push for safety in F1 would surely have been less enthusiastic and come much later.

iDave

RIP

Wasnt he heavily involved in saving Mika Hakkinens life in 95 too?

GavRedKing

Just seen this, sad day for motorsport.

True legend.

R.I.P

17larsson

Yeah he restarted Hakkinens heart twice on the side of the track at Adelaide. He saved many more lives directly and even more indirectly with his work on making F1 safer.

RIP

Frank Bullitt

"What else do you need to do? You have been world champion three times, you are obviously the quickest driver. Give it up and let's go fishing."

Simple logic, sums him up quite well.

Rest easy.

Faing

Some people leave huge legacies, Sid was one such person. RIP Prof.

lee_baby_simms

A great man. RIP.

sham69

Probably didnt realise until I saw the Senna movie how brilliant the man was.
As said here, he probably saved more lives through his push for better safety measures etc.

I remember reading about him when Hakkinnen had his accident, great guy.
RIP Sid.

antodeco

RIP. I was only reading up on him recently. Great man, great legacy. He still lives on in those lifes he has saved and continues to do so through his safety measures. Hopefully F1 commemorate his life somehow. I think a nice gesture would be if all the cars/helmets had his name/signature or something on them. Give him one final blast around the circuit.

Autosport

Very sad to hear of his passing, saved many lives, may he Rest In Peace

freestyla

I just heard.. this is is the most sad news in a long while, RIP Prof Sid!

se conman

One of very few people who did what he did purely for the good and love of the sport , a gentleman , a scholar and a visionary , RIP.

marco2068

sad news

RIP SID

staker

A pioneer and leaves a legacy which only a handful can ever achieve. Sad day for the sport RIP

De Hipster

Good speed to one of motorsports greatest innovators and a true gentleman – Professor Sid Watkins (1928-2012).

Responsible for innumerable lives saved and potential fatal incidents avoided, through his tireless years of dedication to the improvements of safety standards and procedures in and around F1.

It was Sid’s vision and passion for motorsport, but ultimately his closely formed bonds with the world most talented racing drivers (not least the late Ayrton Senna), that led him to revolutionise and radically advance the safety measures to best ensure the preservation human element of motorsport .

Sid worked tirelessly with and against drivers but always with their best interests and survival as his core focus. Sid – you will be forever honoured by your legacy; F1 safety record post 1st May 1994. RIP ‘The Prof’.

Genuinely one of 'the good guys'.

Rascasse

Saw this photo of The Prof on twitter. I think its the picture I want to remember him by - rather than the images of him beside Ayrton's Williams at Imola.

One of those guys who it was obvious that everyone respected when his name was mentioned.

losthorizon

RIP Dr Watkins.

Saw an interview with him once and he was asked "how can racing drivers get back into the car after huge shunts?"

His answer "Easy, they have no brains!"

overshoot

sad to hear of his passing, dedicated wouldnt do the man justice. he leaves motorsport in a much better place
RIP Sid

losthorizon

saw a tweet there from Rubens:-

It was Sid Watkins that saved my life in Imola 94.great guy to be with,always happy...tks for everything u have done for us drivers.RIP

lolie

Only watched the senna film bout 2weeks ago, also a few youtube vids of him since.
Funny when he mentioned punching coulthard in the stomach years ago, lucky he didnt punch him on his big square jaw.
He seemed like a decent likable auld sod.
RIP.

BlaasForRafa

He helped to transform the sport from one in which several racers would die every year to a very safe sport, many drivers owe him a debt of thanks. RIP.