Sid Watkins

Eric Sidney Watkins, known as Professor Sid or simply Prof, was an English neurosurgeon who lived from 1928 to 2012. Born and raised in Liverpool, he took his Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of Liverpool in 1952, served four years in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and then specialised in neurosurgery in Oxford and later in London. He acted as a race track doctor at weekends, which he continued at Watkins Glen International after he was appointed Professor of Neurosurgery at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. Bernie Ecclestone, the Brabham team boss, offered him the role of FIA Formula One Safety and Medical Delegate, which made him head of the on-track medical team and first responder in a crash. He held that role from 1978 to 2004, a span of 26 years, and is credited with helping save the lives of several drivers, among them Gerhard Berger, Martin Donnelly, Érik Comas, Rubens Barrichello, Karl Wendlinger and Mika Häkkinen.