Bernie Ecclestone has released a statement in honour of the late Professor Sid Watkins who passed away following a short illness on Wednesday evening. The Formula 1 supremo described an 'incredible' safety drive from Watkins over the course of his career, before explaining that he will forever be irreplaceable.
The full statement from Bernie Ecclestone:
'What Sid Watkins did in the way of safety in Formula One was incredible. He gave his whole life to that cause, to make sure that it could be as safe as it possibly could be. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for his caring and commitment.
'When I invited him to join Formula One as its official doctor partway through the 1978 season, we discussed many aspects of safety and medical issues. We agreed that we needed a proper hospital at the track in the form of a fully equipped medical centre to stabilise injured drivers with immediate treatment, and a helicopter to transport them subsequently to specialist facilities, and that the helicopter pad had to be as close to that trackside hospital as possible.
'Sid carried all of those things through, and many more. After the accidents to Jochen Rindt and then Ronnie Peterson, I suggested that he should have a medical intervention car and that he should take responsibility for taking drivers into medical care. We always talked things through and worked together, and he then took care of all the medical things which I knew nothing about. I am pretty sure that he is irreplaceable. You only meet somebody of his calibre once in your lifetime.'
Series
Formula 1
Personalities
Sid Watkins
Bernie Ecclestone
Other
DTM Tickets (best price guarantee!) at Sportstadium.com
| Bernie Ecclestone | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
| More Bernie Ecclestone photos | |||
| Sid Watkins | |||
 |  |  |  |
| More Sid Watkins photos | |||
English
Nederlands
Español
Italiano
