In 1983 the ACM became entangled in the disagreements between Federation Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) and FOCA. The ACM, with the agreement of Bernie Ecclestone, negotiated an individual television rights deal with ABC in the United States. This broke an agreement enforced by FISA for a single central negotiation of television rights. Jean-Marie Balestre, president of FISA, announced that the Monaco Grand Prix would not form part of the Formula One world championship in 1985. The ACM fought their case in the French courts. They won the case and the race was eventually reinstated.
Reginaldo Poliseli Leme born January 3, 1945 is an experienced brazilian racing journalist. Reginaldo has been working in Formula One coverage since 1972,
Reginaldo Leme provides his thoughts on some of the very besy drivers in the 80's who competed at Monaco Grand Prix. You had Alain Prost, known as "The Professor". A very smooth, very calculating driver, you had Nelson Piquet, who was Brazilian, very emotional, very clever, cunning driver. You had Nigel Mansell, who was sort of a British Lion, who was very exciting to watch, very spectacular driver. And then you had Senna, the virtuoso. And to see these drivers competing with each other at more or less the same stage of their careers, overlapping slightly in a way, but really at their peak together was phenomenal.
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Ayrton Senna talks to Reginaldo Poliseli Leme at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix.
It is very loud with race cars whizzing by and people talking, Sounds of air horns can also be heard - A male voice is heard emanating from a megahorn. Leme speaks - Ayrton, this is a beautiful city, with wonderful streets to walk but unsuitable to host a race, no?.
Senna replies - Indeed, I arrived at the last minute, and I was surprised, I've never been to Monaco. I did some testing, and fortunately, I managed to adapt to the track. There is no margin for error, any error would result in an accident. But for now I'm satisfied.
For the decade from 1984 to 1993 the race was won by only two drivers, arguably the two best drivers in Formula One at the time - Frenchman Alain Prost and Brazilian Ayrton Senna, Prost, already a winner of the support race for Formula Three cars in 1979, took his first Monaco win at the 1984 race. The race started 45 minutes late after heavy rain. Prost led briefly before Nigel Mansell overtook him on lap 11. Mansell crashed out five laps later, letting Prost back into the lead. On lap 27, Prost led from Ayrton Senna's Toleman and Stefan Bellof's Tyrrell. Senna was catching Prost and Bellof was catching both of them in the only naturally aspirated car in the race. However, on lap 31, the race was controversially stopped with conditions deemed to be undriveable. Later, FISA fined the clerk of the course, Jacky Ickx, $6,000 and suspended his licence for not consulting the stewards before stopping the race. The drivers received only half of the points that would usually be awarded, as the race had been stopped before two-thirds of the intended race distance had been completed.
Image Above - The start of the Monaco Grand Prix in 1984 - The conditions were very wet.
Ayrton Senna prepares for the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, A Steward to the right cleans Senna's race car with a white cloth. Senna wipes his face and brow with both hands as the adrenalin and pressure build, Horns can be heard - Senna turns to his right and speaks to someone stood by the side of his car. Jounalist and GLOBE reporter and commentator Reginaldo Leme speaks about his thoughts on Senna, I was travelling a lot, as a Formula One journalist,
(Ayrton continues to speak to a technician)(Senna points his left index finger up towards the technician) (Senna shakes his hands up and down as he describes his experiences) Leme - When Ayrton began to be noticed driving a Toleman. Toleman was not a winning team, The car was bad and never won a race. (Sounds of people talking fills the air -
Senna puts on his left glove - Leme - That's why what Ayrton did in Monaco was true genius. Horns are heard infused with the sounds of revving engines.
Alain Prost 1984 F1 Replica Helmet Scale 1:1
Reginaldo Leme continues his thoughts on Monaco - Now lots of drivers do that, Join a small team, and then disappear without a trace. They perform to the level of the team. (Takes a deep breath) But there is a sort of rare breed of driver of which Senna was absolutely one. Who can go into a small team and perform so far above the perceived level of the car that everybody turns around and thinks: "How did he do that?" What he had done was to make everybody *Everybody* in the paddock aware of what he could do, who he was and what his potential was. Takes deep breath - That he could take this car which had nothing, and deliver a result like that. Increases voice - In the worst possible conditions for a racing driver. It is impossible to over estimate how frightening it is to race in the rain, how difficult it is. Racing drivers can't see anything if it rains, especially if they are behind another car. With those big tires they have now throw up so much spray, (Lemo lifts his right hand behind his right shoulder to emphasise his point) That it's like driving in thick thick thick fog. You know, like trying to drive on a motorway in thick fog, with 20 yards of visibility, at racing speeds. And to be able to do that, you know, really sorts out the great racing drivers from the pretty good ones.
A loud sound of racing car engines can be heard - Commentator Murray Walker speaks enthusiastically over his microphone, Alain Prost can be seen driving his car in the Monaco Grand Prix of 1984.
Alain Prost, now after a superb start, has got away into the lead. Nigel Mansell, second, the two Ferraris third and fourth.
Niki Lauda is in fifth position. Sixth is Rosberg, Seventh is Manfred Winkelhock, Eighth is Ayrton Senna. (Senna's racing car can be seen rapidly approaching from a distance)
But Senna has come up through the field.
Senna clips the red and white painted curb momentarily but easily returns to the road surface. Murray - He started in thirteenth place and is now seventh.
Kerbs are ribbed and as a result, are often called "rumble strips." This ensures that the tires cannot achieve the same level of grip that they would be able to on regular pavement, but gives enough grip that a driver that "accidentally" (heh) exceeds the track surface will be able to tenderly direct his car back on track -- but without gaining an advantage by doing so. Or so the thinking once was. They still provide an intermediate level of grip between the track and astroturf, but they're smack in the middle of the racing line on some F1 tracks. I tend to think that they're also pretty useful visually. Braking zones often start right about the same time as the kerbing on the outside, and kerbs tend to indicate the location of the apex, for example.
A loud skid is heard as Nigel Mansell loses control of his racing car, Murray shouts loudly with excitement - Off goes Nigel Mansell!. Nigel Mansells car slides from the back wheels in an anti clockwise circular motion before striking the Armco fencing with his rear wing. (A loud sound of metal is heard) (Several red fire extinguisers violently propel and topple over from the forces.) Nigel quickly recovers as he continues to travel ahead.
Huge amounts of water spray create a deep and obscured scenario from behind Senna's car.
Murray - Ayrton Senna has now passed Keke Rosberg and is in third place. A huge blaze of hot and orange colored flame explodes out of Senna's exhaust momentarilly. (Loud pop sound is heard)
The excited voice of Galvao Bueno a GLOBO TV Commentator is heard as Senna attempts to overtake Niki Lauda. Galveo screams with delight as Senna passes Lauda and shouts out "And overtakes Niki Lauda"
Galveo screams out again - Ayrton Senna takes second place! At the most dangerous part of the track! Out of the tunnel, the cars have to brake hard for a tight left-right-left chicane. This has been the scene of several large accidents. Ayrton Senna famously retired to his apartment after crashing out of the lead of the 1988 race.
Ayrton Senna flies out of the tunnel at incredible speed and down towards the Nouvelle Chicane. A chicane is a serpentine curve in a road, added by design rather than dictated by geography. Chicanes add extra turns and are used both in motor racing and on the streets to slow traffic for safety.
The voice of James Hunt is heard commentating, He was the 1976 Formula One World Champion. "Well I think we are watching the arrival of Ayron Senna, a truly outstanding talent.He is catching Alain Prost at something like three seconds a lap. And that is a pretty staggering performance. Car no 7 can be seen driven by Alain Prost from France travelling through the tunnel section.
Murray returns to the commentary box, "Prost is waving his hand to the officials, He wants to stop the race, but who can blame him?. James Hunt returns, "There is in fact, from a purist and dispassionate point of view, that there is no reason to stop the race.
Murray returns - There is an official in front of me with a red flag, Galvao Bueno is heard speaking in his own language, "They want to stop running."
Murray - And the checkered flag is going out. Bueno - Incredible!
Murray gets excited - And Prost is stopping! and Senna crosses the line before he gets there!. Bueno - Ayrton raises his arms and gesturing with enthusiasm! Celebrating as if he had won the race!. If we had continued for a few more laps, I am sure Ayrton would have passed him.
Alain Prost was awarded first place with 31 laps completed, he also gained 4.5 points. Ayrton was awarded second place and awarded 3 points with a 31 lap effort. Had the race been allowed to continue until 75% of the laps, full points would have been awarded and Prost could have had six points from a second place (or nine for a win) instead of 4.5 points from the half-race win, had he actually finished. Prost would eventually go on to lose the championship to Niki Lauda by only half a point. Speculation that the early red flag cost both Ayrton Senna and Toleman their first race win proved to be false when the team's mechanics later revealed that suspension damage to his car would have forced him to retire within a few laps of when the race was stopped. On lap 29, Prost waved to the stewards of the race to indicate that he felt the race should be stopped. He was also suffering from a major brake imbalance as his McLaren's carbon brakes were locking due to not generating enough heat in the conditions, the same problem that had caused Lauda to spin at Casino Square on lap 23, whereupon he stalled his engine and was out of the race. A slowing Prost waved again on lap 31 as he passed the start/finish line
Injuries - Pole-sitter Prost led the race from the start, while first corner contact between Ferrari's Rene Arnoux and the Renault of Derek Warwick pitched the Englishman's car into the fence on the outside of St. Devote and into the path of his team-mate Patrick Tambay. Both drivers suffered leg injuries, Warwick bruised his left leg while Tambay broke his leg after his car's suspension punched through the carbon fibre monocoque, causing him to miss the next round in Canada. The stoppage was controversial, as it benefitted Prost with a Porsche-designed engine, and was made by Ickx, the lead driver with the factory run Rothmans Porsche team in sports car racing. Ickx was suspended from his race control duties for not consulting with the stewards over his decision before making it.
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Senna and Mansell were not the only new drivers to run near the front - Stefan Bellof, running in the only naturally aspirated car in the race, finished third and had been closing on both Senna and Prost. Bellof had qualified 20th and last in his Tyrrell 012-Cosworth. His drive from last to third was a stand-out achievement in his short career, although he was later disqualified due to weight restrictions broken by Tyrrell. Observers note that Bellof's car was the only non turbocharged car on the 1984 Monaco grid. The drive, which was punctuated by some brave and unusual overtaking manoeuvres, was enough to get Bellof noticed by Enzo Ferrari, who negotiated with him a drive for 1986 alongside Michele Alboreto, as René Arnoux had an airtight contract which couldn't be broken in 1985 for the German. The Tyrrell team's results were erased later in the season due to weight infringements, meaning that Bellof was stripped of his podium finish, with his place being taken by Rene Arnoux. It would prove to be Bellof's only podium visit during his curtailed (22 races, 20 starts) Formula One career. This was the first time that Ayrton Senna had set a Formula One fastest lap. It was also Toleman's second and last fastest lap in Formula One (Derek Warwick had set the team's only other fastest lap during the 1982 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.
Stefan Bellof
Senna expresses his views to Reginaldo Leme after the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix race has ended. "I had a serious chance of winning", But until you cross the finishing line in first place, It is impossible to make a prediction. Formula One is politics, money, and while you are making your way through it, you must deal with such things.
John Bisignano expresses his thoughts - You have Alain Prost, a world champion, out there leading the Monaco Grand Prix, surviving all those wet corners, going by many wrecks, driving his heart out for a victory at Monaco. And here comes, first year Formula One driver from some place in Brazil, Ayrton Senna. Now, this was one of the wettest races I've ever been at.. and it needed to be stopped. But what Senna could not get, was that .. It was in a French area considered a French event, (John clenches his right hand into a fist) with the FIA being housed in Paris, and run by Frenchmen. To him, there had to be some reason beside the rain, that was no problem to him.,to where they took this victory away from him. He knew that in another three or four laps he would catch Prost, He would find a way around him, and he would be in the number one position.
A torrent of clapping whistling and cheering is heard as Ayrton Senna stands on the podium to receive his second place cup award. Alain Prost shakes the hand of the elderly gentlemen who is a part of the FIA. A male commentator is heard saying, "A tragic result for Senna - However he's not about to be world champion this year, (Race cars whizz by) He will undoubtedly be World Champion in the future if his career continues. Galvao Bueno is now heard - Ayrton Senna the new star of Formula One!. Appearing for the first time on the Formula One podium after a fantastic performance. Aryton leaves the podium with his cup and is feeling happy. Senna looks down as he raises his left hand up high in the air with jubilation and a sense of victory. Senna beams with happiness as he makes his way out of the area.
John Bisignano interviews Senna to find out his thoughts on the future, What about next year? - Are you going to stay with the Toleman team? - What are your plans now? - Senna shakes his head negatively and say's with slight uncertainty - "I Don't know" I don't know, At the moment it's still no decisions, and nothing clear, We have to wait more time to see what happens - Male voice on tannoy is heard in the background - Bisignano speaks - Your not going to be satisfied until you are in a winning position though are you?. Senna hunches and say's - I believe if you are doing something, like competing, like motor racing...you either do well, or forget it. (Car whizzes by)
The 1989 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo on 7th May 1989. It was the third race of the 1989 Formula One World Championship. The 77-lap race was won from pole position by Ayrton Senna, driving a McLaren-Honda, with teammate Alain Prost second and Stefano Modena third in a Brabham-Judd.
Jean-Marie Balestre (9th April 1921 – 27th March 2008) was a French auto racing executive administrator, who became President of the Federation Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) from 1978 to 1991 and President of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) from 1985 to 1993. Balestre was born at Saint Remy-de-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhone. He studied law in Paris, and afterwards worked as a journalist on a number of publications. Details of Balestre's activities during World War II are unknown. He was a member of the French SS, but later claimed to have been an undercover agent for the French Resistance, and received the Legion of Honour for services to France in 1968.
Prost won 1985 after polesitter Senna retired with a blown Renault engine in his Lotus after over-revving it at the start, and Michele Alboreto in the Ferrari retook the lead twice, but he went off the track at Sainte-Devote, where Brazilian Nelson Piquet and Italian Riccardo Patrese had a huge accident only a few laps previously and oil and debris littered the track. Prost passed Alboreto, who retook the Frenchman, and then he punctured a tyre after running over bodywork debris from the Piquet/Patrese accident, which dropped him to 4th. He was able to pass his Roman countrymen Andrea De Cesaris and Elio de Angelis, but finished 2nd behind Prost. The French Prost dominated 1986 after starting from pole position, a race where the Nouvelle Chicane had been changed on the grounds of safety.
Michele Alboreto (23 December 1956 – 25 April 2001) was an Italian racing driver. He was runner up to Alain Prost in the 1985 Formula One World Championship, as well as winning the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans and 2001 12 Hours of Sebring sports car races. Alboreto competed in Formula One from 1981 until 1994, racing for a number of teams, including five seasons (1984–88) for Ferrari.
Senna holds the record for the most victories in Monaco, with six, including five consecutive wins between 1989 and 1993, as well as eight podium finishes in ten starts. His 1987 win was the first time a car with an active suspension had won a Grand Prix. He won this race after Briton Nigel Mansell in a Williams-Honda went out with a broken exhaust. His win was very popular with the people of Monaco, and when he was arrested on the Monday following the race, for riding a motorcycle without wearing a helmet, he was released by the officers after they realised who he was. Senna dominated 1988, and was able to get ahead of his teammate Prost while the Frenchman was held up for most of the race by Austrian Gerhard Berger in a Ferrari. By the time Prost got past Berger, he pushed as hard as he could and set a lap some 6 seconds faster than Senna's; Senna then set 2 fastest laps, and while pushing as hard as possible, he touched the barrier at the Portier corner and crashed into the Armco separating the road from the Mediterranean. Senna was so upset that he went back to his Monaco flat and was not heard from until the evening. Prost went on to win for the fourth time.
Formula 1 - Monaco Grand Prix 1988 - Ayrton Senna - Full Race!
Formula 1 - Monaco Grand Prix 1988 - Ayrton Senna - Full Race!
Senna dominated 1989 while Prost was stuck behind backmarker Rene Arnoux and others; the Brazilian also dominated 1990 and 1991. At the 1992 event Nigel Mansell, who had won all five races held to that point in the season, took pole and dominated the race in his Williams FW14B-Renault. However, with seven laps remaining, Mansell suffered a loose wheel nut and was forced into the pits, emerging behind Ayrton Senna's McLaren-Honda, who was on worn tyres. Mansell, on fresh tyres, set a lap record almost two seconds quicker than Senna's and closed from 5.2 to 1.9 seconds in only two laps. The pair duelled around Monaco for the final four laps but Mansell could find no way past, finishing just two-tenths of a second behind the Brazilian. It was Senna's fifth win at Monaco, equalling Graham Hill's record. Senna had a poor start to the 1993 event, crashing in practice and qualifying 3rd behind pole-sitter Prost and the rising German star Michael Schumacher. Both of them beat Senna to the first corner, but Prost had to serve a time penalty for jumping the start and Schumacher retired after suspension problems, so Senna took his sixth win to break Graham Hill's record for most wins at the Monaco Grand Prix. Runner-up Damon Hill commented, "If my father was around now, he would be the first to congratulate Ayrton."
1950 Monaco Grand Prix
In only Formula One's second official World Championship race, Monaco showed the drivers what it was made of with a multi-car pile-up on the first lap. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Michael Schumacher born 3rd January 1969) is a German retired racing driver who competed in Formula One for Jordan Grand Prix and Benetton, and Ferrari where he spent most of his career, as well as for Mercedes upon his return to the sport. Schumacher is widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers ever, and is regarded by some, including six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, as the greatest of all time. Schumacher is the only driver in history to win seven Formula One World Championships, five of which he won consecutively. The most successful driver in the history of the sport, Schumacher holds the records for the most World Championship titles (7), the most Grand Prix wins (91), the most fastest laps (77) and the most races won in a single season (13), and according to the official Formula One website, Schumacher was "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen" at the time of his retirement from the sport. He was also noted throughout his career for pushing his car to the very limit for sustained periods and a pioneering fitness regimen.
Damon Graham Devereux Hill, OBE (born 17 September 1960) is a British former racing driver. He is the son of Graham Hill, and along with Nico Rosberg, one of only two sons of a Formula One world champion to also win teh title. He started racing on motorbikes in 1981, and after minor success moved on to single-seater racing cars. Despite progressing steadily up the ranks to the International Formula 3000 championship by 1989, and often being competitive, he never won a race at that level. Hill became a test driver for the Formula One title-winning Williams team in 1992. He was promoted to the Williams race team the following year after Riccardo Patrese's departure and took the first of his 22 victories at the 1993 Hungarian Grand Prix. During the mid-1990's, Hill was Michael Schumacher's main rival for the Formula One Drivers' Championship, which saw the two clash several times on and off the track. Their collision at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix gave Schumacher his first title by a single point. Hill became champion in 1996 with eight wins, but was dropped by Williams for the following season. He went on to drive for the less competitive Arrows and Jordan teams, and in 1998 gave Jordan their first win. Hill retired from racing after the 1999 season. He has since launched several businesses and has made appearances playing the guitar with celebrity bands. In 2006, he became president of the British Racing Drivers Club, succeeding Jackie Stewart. Hill stepped down from the position in 2011 and was succeeded by Derek Warwick. He presided over the securing of a 17-year contract for Silverstone to hold Formula One races, which enabled the circuit to see extensive renovation work. Hill currently works as part of the Sky Sports F1 broadcasting team.
Senna vs Mansell Monaco 1992, Best F1 Battle ever
Senna vs Mansell Monaco 1992, Best F1 Battle ever
The 1994 race was an emotional and tragic affair. It came two weeks after the race at Imola in which Austrian Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna both died from massive head injuries from on-track accidents on successive days. During the Monaco event, Austrian Karl Wendlinger had an accident in his Sauber in the tunnel, he went into a coma and was to miss the rest of the season. The German Michael Schumacher won the 1994 Monaco event. The 1996 race saw Michael Schumacher take pole position before crashing out on the first lap after being overtaken by Damon Hill. Hill led the first 40 laps before his engine expired in the tunnel.
Roland Ratzenberger 4th July 1960 – 30th April 1994) was an Austrian racing driver who raced in sports prototype, British Formula 3000, Japanese Formula 3000 and Formula One. He died in a crash during qualifying for the 1994 San Marino Grand prix, the same event at which three-time World Champion Ayrton Senna died the following day. As a direct result of his death, the Grand Prix Drivers' Association was reformed.
Ratzenberger was born in Salzburg, Austria. He began racing in German Formula Ford in 1983, and in 1985 won both the Austrian and Central European Formula Ford championships. Ratzenberger was killed during qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix at the Imola circuit on Saturday 30 April 1994. He went off-track on the previous lap, damaging his front wing, but rather than come into the pits, he continued, since he was competing for the final grid spot. The high speed on the straight, and therefore the high downforce generated, finally broke the wing off, sending it under the car. His car failed to turn into the Villeneuve Corner and struck the outside wall at 314.9 km/h (195.7 mph). The car struck the unprotected wall with such force that the front wheel penetrated the cockpit. The deceleration caused a rupture in the aorta in addition to a basilar skull fracture (each of these injuries individually are fatal). Bernie Ecclestone persuaded the Simtek team to take part in the race the following day to overcome the shock. Out of respect, Ratzenberger's spot on the starting grid was left empty. Ratzenberger's teammate, David Brabham, retired after 27 laps.
His death had one lasting legacy. On 1st May 1994, during the customary drivers' briefing, the remaining drivers agreed to the reformation of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, with Senna, Gerhard Berger and Michael Schumacher as its first directors. The association subsequently pressed for improvements to car and circuit safety in the wake of Imola and other serious crashes during the 1994 season; for 2003, the FIA mandated the use of the HANS device, designed to prevent the type of injury suffered by Ratzenberger.
Dr. Robert Hubbard
The man who helped create one of the biggest breakthroughs in auto racing safety has died.
Dr. Robert Hubbard, who along with partner Jim Downing invented the HANS Device in the 1980s, should be remembered for his persistence as much as his expertise in getting racers to embrace his godsend for head and neck safety. A professor of biochemical engineering at Michigan State University, Hubbard was associated with racing because of Downing, his brother-in-law who raced sports cars. After a friend of theirs was killed in 1981 at Mid-Ohio in a “sudden stop” accident, Downing decided it was time to try and improve head and neck safety. Hubbard and Downing’s creation was a collar-shaped device with a yoke that fits over the driver’s shoulder and is tethered to each side of the driver’s helmet. In frontal impact crashes, the driver always remained secured by the belts while the head is carried forward by the momentum. The HANS was tested in the mid-90s by a few F1 drivers and continued to be downsized to accommodate a tight, open wheel cockpit. After Gonzalo Rodriguez lost his life at Laguna Seca in the fall of 1999 to a basal skull fracture, Olvey asked Christian Fittipaldi to be CART’s test pilot with the HANS.
Roland Ratzenberger after the fatal high speed crash
David Brabham
Three time world champion Ayrton Senna learned from friend and neurosurgeon Sid Watkins that Ratzenberger had died. When the two left the medical centre together, Watkins told the inconsolable Senna that he did not have to race ever again and suggested to Senna that he withdraw from the following day's race and go fishing with him. Senna responded by telling Watkins he could not stop racing and then went back to the garage, where he decided to withdraw for the remainder of that day's qualifying session. At the race the following day on lap 7, the second lap at racing speed, Senna's car left the racing line at the 305 km/h (190 mph) Tamburello corner, running in a straight line off the track he struck an unprotected concrete barrier and was killed. When track officials examined the wreckage of Senna's racing car, they found a furled Austrian flag. Senna had planned to raise it after the race, in honour of Ratzenberger.
Eric Sidney Watkins OBE FRCS
Eric Sidney Watkins OBE FRCS - (6 September 1928 – 12 September 2012), commonly known within the Formula One fraternity as Professor Sid or simply Prof, was an English neurosurgeon. Born in Liverpool, Watkins enrolled at the University of Liverpool where he graduated in 1952 later serving four years in the Royal Army Medical Corps before specialising in neurosurgery in Oxford and later London. Watkins also acted as a race track doctor at weekends which he continued at Watkins Glen International when he was appointed a Professor of Neurosurgery at Syracuse University. At a meeting with Brabham team boss Bernie Ecclestone, he was offered the role as the FIA Formula One Safety and Medical Delegate, head of the Formula One on-track medical team, and first responder in case of a crash, a role which Watkins performed for 26 years. He helped to save the lives of many drivers including Gerhard Berger, Martin Donnelly, Erik Comas, Rubens Barrichello, Karl Wendlinger and Mika Hakkinen. Watkins was married, with four sons and two daughters. He died on 12 September 2012 of a heart attack.
In 1978 he met Bernie Ecclestone, at the time chief executive of the Formula One Constructors Association, who offered Watkins the position of official Formula One race doctor. Ecclestone had checked in for a medical problem and offered Watkins $35,000 a year for the entire season. Watkins had to pay airfares, hotel bills, rental cars and all incidental expenses. Watkins accepted, and attended his first race at the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix. Outside of the Grand Prix weekends, he remained in his position as a neurosurgeon in London. His first day as the Safety and Medical Delegate, was at Brands Hatch to introduce himself to the drivers. Watkins did not attend private test day sessions due to the large number of sessions held over the course of the year.
Sid Watkins and his team treating Rubens Barrichello, Imola 1994.
Initially, his appointment was met with hostility by some of the racing circuits, who saw his appointment as a way of monitoring their performance. At the time, medical facilities would sometimes consist of nothing more than a tent. At the 1978 Italian Grand Prix, Ronnie Peterson crashed heavily on the first lap, with the car catching fire. Fellow drivers Clay Regazzoni, Patrick Depailler and James Hunt pulled him from the wreckage but by the time Watkins arrived at the scene, Italian police had formed a human wall to prevent people from entering the area. Watkins was initially stopped from assisting with the treatment and there was a long delay of approximately 18 minutes before an ambulance arrived to take Peterson to hospital, where he died the following day. Following the race, Watkins demanded that Ecclestone provide better safety equipment, an anaesthetist, a medical car and a medical helicopter (Medevac). All were provided at the next race in the United States. In addition, it was decided that the medical car containing Watkins would follow the racing cars for the first lap of the race to provide immediate help in the event of a first lap incident. The organisers at Hockenheim had denied Watkins access to race control and Ecclestone threatened to stand in front of the grid and order the drivers out of their cars.
Ronnie Petersons Lotus crashed heavilly into the barriers and caught fire on the first lap of the 1978 Italian Grand Prix race, Hunt, Regazzoni and Depailler managed to free him before he received more than minor burns, while track marshals were extinguishing the car. He was dragged free and laid in the middle of the track fully conscious, but with severe leg injuries. Hunt later said he stopped Peterson from looking at his legs to spare him further distress. At the hospital, Peterson's X-rays showed he had about 27 fractures in his legs and feet. After discussion with him, Peterson was sent to intensive care so that the surgeons could operate to stabilize the bones. There was some level of dispute between the doctors regarding whether all fractures should be immediately fixed or not. During the night, Peterson's condition worsened, and he was diagnosed with fat embolism. By morning he was in full kidney failure due to the embolism, and was declared dead at 9:55am on 11th September 1978. Peterson competed in 123 Grand Prix races during his career, winning ten of them.
Ronnie-Peterson (L) -sitting-with-Mario-Andretti
At the Canadian Grand Prix of 1982 Watkins assisted with the recovery of Riccardo Paletti who had suffered a fatal accident on the first lap of the race. Watkins got to Paletti's car 16 seconds after impact and opened the visor of the helmet to see his blown pupils. Then, before any medical attention could be received, Paletti's car caught fire due to the petrol tank having ruptured and ignited. Watkins had suitable clothing to prevent him from suffering serious burns but his hands were affected. After he extinguished the fire, he took off his gloves to put an airway into Paletti's throat but Watkins' boots had melted in the fire.
Ronnie Peterson was a Swedish racing driver Known by the nickname 'SuperSwede', he was a two-time runner-up in the FIA Formula One World Drivers Championship. Peterson began his motor racing career in kart racing, traditionally the discipline where the majority of race drivers begin their careers in open-wheel racing. After winning a number of karting titles, including two Swedish titles in 1963 and 1964, he moved on to Formula Three, where he won the Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three support race for the 1969 Grand Prix. Later that year he won the FIA European Formula 3 Championship and moved up into Formula One racing for the March factory team. In his three-year spell with the team, he took six podiums, most of which were scored during the 1971 Formula One Season in which he also finished as runner-up in the Drivers' Championship.
Ronnie Peterson in DRIFT KART
After seeing out his three-year contract at March, Peterson joined Colin Chapman's Team Lotus in the 1973 season, partnering defending champion Emerson Fittipaldi. During his first two seasons with Lotus, Peterson took seven victories, scoring a career-best 52 points in 1973. After a poor 1975 season, Peterson moved back to March and scored his final victory for the team at the 1976 Italian Grand Prix. After spending the 1977 season with Tyrrell, he moved back to Lotus for the 1978 season as number two driver to Mario Andretti. Peterson scored two wins, at the South African and Austrian Grand Prix races, and finished second in the Drivers' Championship standings despite his fatal first-lap accident at Monza during the Italian Grand Prix.
In 1987, Nelson Piquet crashed during practice at the San Marino Grand Prix, and was declared unfit to race by Watkins. Despite it being only the second race of the season, Piquet tried to persuade officials to allow him to compete knowing any lost points could lose him the championship (which he ultimately won). In response, Watkins threatened to resign if overruled. The officials opted to support Watkins, and Piquet sat out the race, later admitting that it was the correct decision.
Nelson Piquet's overturned Racing Car.
At the 1995 Australian Grand Prix, Mika Hakkinen crashed heavily during the Friday qualifying session at the Brewery Bend at high-speed due to a puncture having been sustained by one of his tyres. Häkkinen was immediately rendered unconscious but did not hit his head against the surrounding wall or cockpit. Two volunteer doctors, Jereme Lockins and Steve Lewis, arrived at the scene in 15 seconds with Watkins arriving last and taking the action of restarting Häkkinen's heart twice and performing a cricothyroidotomy at the side of the track which he later described as his most satisfying experience during his time in the sport. Watkins was awarded the Mario Andretti Award for Medical Excellence in 1996.
A cricothyrotomy (also called cric, crike, thyrocricotomy, cricothyroidotomy, inferior laryngotomy, intercricothyrotomy, coniotomy or emergency airway puncture) is an incision made through the skin and cricothyroid membrane to establish a patent airway during certain life-threatening situations, such as airway obstruction by a foreign body, angioedema, or massive facial trauma. Cricothyrotomy is nearly always performed as a last resort in cases where orotracheal and nasotracheal intubation are impossible or contraindicated. Cricothyrotomy is easier and quicker to perform than tracheotomy, does not require manipulation of the cervical spine, and is associated with fewer complications.[1] However, while cricothyrotomy may be life-saving in extreme circumstances, this technique is only intended to be a temporizing measure until a definitive airway can be established.
FIA president, Max Mosley, attended the funeral of Ratzenberger, despite the overwhelming attention on Senna's funeral, both in the world of motorsport and worldwide. In a press conference ten years later Mosley said, "Roland had been forgotten. So I went to his funeral because everyone went to Senna's. I thought it was important that somebody went to his." Other members of the Formula 1 community who attended were teammate David Brabham, Johnny Herbert, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, and Ratzenberger's compatriots Karl Wendlinger and Gerhard Berger: they were the only five F1 drivers who attended. Ratzenberger was due to drive later that year in the Le Mans 24 Hours for Toyota. Eddie Irvine took his place in the team, and Ratzenberger's name was left on the car (which went on to take second place overall) as a tribute.
Max Mosley, right, with Bernie Ecclestone in 1978.Credit...Rainer W. Schlegelmilch/Getty Images
Max Mosley was born in London in 1940 and attended schools in Britain, France and Germany. He went on to study at Oxford University, where he read physics and was elected Secretary of the Oxford Union debating society. He later trained as a lawyer and became a barrister specialising in patent and trademark law. In his leisure time however, Mosley spent much of his youth racing cars, first in sports cars and then later in Formula 2 driving Brabham and Lotus cars. He retired from driving in 1969 to co-found March Engineering, which quickly became one of the world's leading racing car manufacturers. Mosley dealt with legal and commercial matters for the company between 1969 and 1977.
In the mid-1970s, he became the official legal adviser to the Formula One Constructors’ Association (FOCA), the body that represented Formula One constructors. In this role he drew up the first Concorde Agreement, settling a long-standing dispute between FOCA and the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA), the then governing body of Formula One. In 1986, Mosley was elected president of the Manufacturers’ Commission of the FISA and represented the world's motor industry on the World Motor Sport Council. He was later elected President of the FISA in 1991. Having worked closely together to plan the restructuring of the FIA, Jean-Marie Balestre and Max Mosley had agreed on the latter’s candidature for the FIA presidency when the Frenchman stood down in June 1993. It soon became clear that Mosley had majority support and he was elected President of the FIA unopposed.
Image Above - Craig Slater says former FIA president Max Mosley has told him he'd have dealt with Sebastian Vettel's dangerous driving in the Azerbaijan GP more harshly
As president, Mosley pledged that the FIA should make a difference in the world outside motor racing and set about promoting increased road safety and the use of green technology.
In his first year in office Mosley set up the FIA Brussels office, giving motor sport and 40 million members of the FIA’s motoring organisations in the European Union countries an effective voice in Brussels for the first time. In the same year, he was elected Honorary President of the European Parliament Automobile Users’ Intergroup and he formed the Expert Advisory Safety Committee, which brought together leading safety experts in motor sport to research and find solutions for the major safety issues in motor sport. Those issues came to a head in 1994 with the accident in Formula One at the San Marino, in which triple world champion Aytron Senna was killed. In the wake of the Brazilian driver’s death Mosley instituted widespread reform of safety in the sport.
Two years later, in 1996, Mosley led the FIA’s successful campaign to modernise and strengthen EU crash test standards for the first time since 1974, achieved by proposing amendments to the European Parliament requiring the offset frontal test and 300mm clearance side impact test. He also promoted the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), the independent crash-test organisation described by the European Commission as the most cost-effective road safety initiative of the last 20 years. Mosley remained Chairman of Euro NCAP from 1996 until 2004. In late 1996, Mosley also formed and served as the first Chairman of the Formula One Safety Commission, which focused on the development of Formula One circuit safety.
Max was his father's right hand man in the late fifties
In 1997 he led a successful campaign for the FIA to be recognised by the International Olympic Committee. A few years later, he launched Formula Zero, a strategy for reducing fatalities and injuries on track and road. The policy document identified the safety synergies between motorsport and motoring and outlined an approach to road safety involving a zero tolerance approach to deaths or injuries. In 2002, Mosley proposed the establishment of the FIA Foundation and the FIA Academy. Mosley served as a Trustee of the Foundation, a charity focusing on promoting road safety, environmental protection and motor sport safety worldwide. The FIA Academy was created to develop important projects to stimulate research and create the necessary framework to promote road safety and protect the environment.
In 2004, Mosley also proposed the establishment of the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety in order to develop and improve safety measures and sustainability across all areas of motor sport, from junior racing to top-level championships. He was re-elected as FIA President three times – in 1997, 2001 and 2005 – each time unopposed. When he eventually decided to stand down in 2009, Mosley endorsed Jean Todt as his successor and like many before him, was named Honorary President of the FIA shortly after. Mosley has received many government and industry awards, most notably the ‘Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur’ in 2006, in recognition of his great contribution to road safety and motorsport.
Ratzenberger was the first racing driver to lose his life at a grand prix weekend since the 1982 season, when Riccardo Paletti was killed at the Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Ratzenberger was also the first driver to die as a result of a crash in an F1 car since Elio de Angekis during testing in 1986. Ratzenbergers highest finish came in 1993, when he, Mauro Martini and Naoki Nagasaka finished fifth in a Toyota 93 C-V tackling the Le Mans 24 Hours race.
Robert Kubica of Poland and BMW-Sauber crashes during the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 10, 2007. Kubica would return the following year to win the race. Randy Phillips writes that the crash is among his worst Grand Prix memories.
PAUL GILHAM / GETTY IMAGES
Riccardo Paletti
A scene after Riccardo Paletti's fatal crash
Riccardo Paletti (1958-1982) was an Italian racing driver who was active in the late 1970s and early 1980s, reaching the Formula 1 World Championship in 1982. He lost his life in a crash at the start of the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, just two days before his 24th birthday. It was his only second start in Formula 1. Successful in karate and skiing before switching to racing. Born in Milan in June 1958, Riccardo Paletti had no connections with racing before he was nineteen. He was successful in karate, even becoming the Italian junior champion, and also in alpine skiing, becoming a member of the Italian youth selection. Then, in 1978, he decided to start a career in racing. His first competition was the Italian Formula Ford 2000, in which he finished third in the points in his rookie season.
Riccardo Paletti`s Fatal Crash in Start Of Race F1 1982 Canadian GP
Riccardo Paletti`s Fatal Crash in Start Of Race F1 1982 Canadian GP
Combining Formula 3 and Formula 2 in 1979 and 1980
Next season, he moved to the Italian Formula 3. Driving a March-Toyota, he was 12th in the points. In the same year, Paletti made a debut in the European Formula 2 Championship, driving a March-BMW for Mike Earle at Misano. In 1980, Paletti was combining Formula 3 (Italian and European championships) and Formula 2. He started four F2 races with Mike Earle's March-BMW, not scoring points. Full season in the 1981 European Formula 2 Championship. In 1981, Paletti was ready to participate full season in the Formula 2 Championship. He made a deal with Onyx Racing to drive a March 812-BMW. He had a great start of the season, scoring two podiums in three races. He was second at Silverstone (behind Mike Thackwell) and third at Thruxton (behind Roberto Guerrero and Eje Elgh). In the second round at Hockenheim, he retired but set the fastest lap. Later in the season, the results were disappointing, including six retirements. He finished tenth in the final classification.
Stepping up to Formula 1 in 1982
The mediocre result in Formula 2 didn't prevent Paletti to make a step up to Formula 1 in 1982. He joined the Italian team Osella Squadra Corse with a support of his main sponsor Pioneer. He was driving the #32 Osella FA1C-Cosworth, next to Jean-Pierre Jarier as his teammate in the #31 car. In the uncompetitive car, Paletti manages to qualify for the race in the fourth attempt, at San Marino Grand Prix. Previously, he was too slow in South Africa, Brazil, and Long Beach, USA.
Riccardo Paletti, Montreal 1982, OSELLA FA1C... One of the last pictures..
Boycott helped Paletti to reach starting grid at Imola
Paletti made to the grid of the San Marino Grand Prix thanks to a boycott of many teams, causing that only fourteen drivers participated in the race. Paletti was 13th in qualifying and retired from the race after seven laps with a broken suspension. The next was the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder, where Paletti failed to prequalify on Friday. The same happened at Monaco Grand Prix. Jarier 'stole' Paletti's car at Detroit Grand Prix
Then, the North American tour followed in June 1982. Paletti managed to qualify for the Detroit Grand Prix, taking 23rd place on the grid, one position behind his teammate. However, during the warm-up session, Paletti lost a wheel. Jarier also had a misfortune because fire extinguisher gone from his car. Jarier took the spare car while Paletti's mechanics were repairing his car. During the preparation for the race, Jarier hit the wall and damaged his spare car, so he returned to the pits and took Paletti's car to start the race from the pits. Paletti left in the paddock as a spectator again.
Detroit Grand Prix Circuit 1986.
The circuit for the Detroit Grand Prix held from 1982 to 1988.
Death at the start of the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix
The next chance to race in F1 Grand Prix came a week later at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Paletti successfully qualified his car to the 23rd place on the grid. Unfortunately, he never left the grid because the fatal crash happened. Didier Pironi, who had the pole position, stalled the engine of his Ferrari. As the lights already switched to green, it was too late to abort the start. Many cars swerved across the track, some contacts between cars occurred but there was no major accident until Paletti slammed into the back of the stranded Ferrari at approximately 180 km/h. The nose of Paletti's Osella was badly damaged, breaking his legs. He also had severe internal injuries. It took the rescue workers twenty-five minutes to get Paletti out of the car and he was transferred to a hospital but there is no chance to save his life. As a tribute to the young Italian, the racetrack at Varano de' Melegari, in the province of Parma, was renamed to Autodromo Riccardo Paletti.