Motorsport is a mechanical sport, but it is a human one, too. Motorsport medicine challenges our expectations, as the doctors involved often witness unexpected collisions in real time, a phenomenon that is rarely encountered elsewhere. They face unpredictable environmental challenges, such as cold, water, fire, darkness, entrapment, nearby objects, and the public. They must think fast and they have a duty of care to spectators and staff, as well as the pressure of treating their patients while minimising delays to the race schedule. Doctors take on a high level of personal risk by working on the track. These factors make motorsport medicine different from medicine practiced inside a clinic. 

As Formula 1 aficionados, we are all too familiar with the joys and the dangers that come with the thrill of the sport. As such, it is no surprise that motorsport medicine has become an increasingly evolving subspecialty of medicine. It encompasses a unique body of knowledge and a skill set that is not currently available in other medical subspecialty training. Motorsports physicians have learned the discipline through “on the job” training and years of mentoring from some of the pioneers in motorsports medicine, just like Professor Gary Hartstein learned from his mentor and friend Sid Watkins. During his time as the FIA Formula One Medical Delegate, Professor Hartstein has been key in developing many of the FIA’s new approaches and policies in terms of medical safety.