British Formula 1 legend Sir Stirling Moss has died at the age of 90 following a long battle with an illness, his wife Lady Moss confirmed to British media.
Famously regarded as one the greatest Formula 1 drivers to have never won a championship, Moss leaves behind the legacy of his remarkable racing career. His career, spanning a number of different racing series, saw him win an incredible 212 out of 529 races that he had entered. His versatility as a racer even earned him the informal title of ‘Mr Motor Racing’.
In fact, in the seven-year span between 1955 and 1961, Moss had finished as a runner-up in the Formula 1 championship four times and in 3rd place a further three times. He’d even become the first British F1 driver to win his home race. However, the championship trophy remained elusive, for many reasons – be it pure luck, or even Moss’ dedication to drive only for British teams; or even his tendency to support privateer teams over factory ones.
The closest Moss ever got to winning an F1 championship was in 1958 – a season in which he lost the title to Mike Hawthorn by just a single point. However, that season also highlighted Moss’ sportsmanship; the British driver famously defended his rival when Hawthorne was accused of reversing on track at the Portuguese GP that year.
Of course, Moss’ racing achievements aren’t just restricted to F1. He won Italy’s famous 1,000-mile Mille Miglia road race (he even set a new course record) and was part of several successful land speed record attempts. He ended up retiring from top-level motorsport in 1962 after crashing his Lotus at Goodwood – an incident that left him in a coma for a month – following which he was partially paralysed for six months. After the incident, he maintained his presence in F1 as a sports correspondent. In early 2018, he announced that he would be retiring from public life as a result of his slow recovery from health problems.
Autocar India extends its heartfelt condolences to Sir Moss’ family and friends.