Formula One news

Senna looked serene - doctor

Prof Sid Watkins

Ayrton Senna looked serene. Professor Sid Watkins was the first man on the scene after the Brazilian great smashed his Williams-Renault into the wall on lap-seven of the 1994 Imola race. 'I remember raising his eyelids,' said the Briton. 'It was clear from his pupils that he had a massive brain injury.' 

A suspension arm had penetrated Senna's helmet like a spear. 'We lifted him from the cockpit and laid him on the ground,' Watkins told The Telegraph. 'As we did so, he sighed. I felt his soul depart at that moment.' 

One of the trackside medical team, Doctor Pezzi, arrived on the scene at Tamburello shortly after and got on with the task of intubating Senna's form.

'I could feel his pulse,' Watkins said. 'But I knew he couldn't survive.'

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