Sir Stirling Moss is often hailed as the greatest all-round racing driver in F1 history and a true icon in the motor racing world. Known during his career as “Mr. Motor Racing,” Moss became a professional driver in 1948 at 18, starting with a Cooper 500.
| Nationality | British |
|---|---|
| Born | Stirling Craufurd Moss 17 September 1929 West Kensington, London, England |
| Died | 12 April 2020 (aged 90) Mayfair, London, England |
His early career was meteoric, earning work drives for both Jaguar and HWM. In 1955, a seminal year for Moss, he was signed by Mercedes-Benz, the famed “Silver Arrows,” to partner with the legendary World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio. That year, Moss shadowed the great Argentine in most Grand Prix, famously beating him to win the 1955 British Grand Prix at Aintree in the Mercedes-Benz W196 Monoposto. Moss also won the epic 1,000-mile Mille Miglia road race in the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR that year at an astonishing average speed of 97.96 mph on public roads, the Targa Florio road race, again in the 300 SLR, and the Tourist Trophy at Dundrod.
For four years, Moss finished as the runner-up in the Formula 1 Drivers World Championship. His sportsmanship at the 1958 Portuguese Grand Prix allowed Mike Hawthorn to win the 1958 Championship title by half a point at his expense.
After Mercedes-Benz retired from motor racing following the 1955 Le Mans tragedy, Moss led the Maserati and Vanwall teams. Throughout his remarkable career, he raced 107 different types of cars across all motorsport series.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Moss led the transition to mid-engined Formula 1 cars with the Cooper-Climax, achieving the first victory for such a car at the 1958 Argentine Grand Prix. His victory in the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix, racing a Lotus 18 against the more powerful Ferraris, is still regarded as one of the best Formula 1 races ever.
Between 1954, his first year with a proper Formula 1 car (the Maserati 250F), and 1962, Moss participated in 318 races of all types, finishing in 225 of them and winning 134. Considering the unreliability of cars in those days, this is an impressive feat.
Outside of F1, Moss drove a Ferrari on 14 occasions, winning 12 of the races and taking 10 fastest laps. Of the remaining two races, he was disqualified at Sebring because mechanics put in fuel when the car had come in for brake linings, and in the 1961 Le Mans, a radiator hose was cut by a fan blade when he was third overall and leading the GT Class.
From 1958 to 1962, Moss drove for Rob Walker, driving in 93 races, finishing 70 with 46 first places. He also drove a Maserati in 72 races, finishing in 50 with 25 first places and 31 lap records. Out of the 375 competitive races he finished during his professional career, he won an astonishing 212, achieving more than one win in every two races. A near-fatal accident at Goodwood in 1962 ended his professional racing career.
After retiring from professional racing, Moss expanded his commercial interests with the same vigour he had for racing, notably in his property business, which he ran with his family. He also designed his home in Mayfair, which featured advanced gadgets for the 1960s, including an automated system for running a bath at a pre-set temperature, triggered by pushing a button on one of many control panels around the house. Moss continued to participate in historic racing, regularly featuring his familiar white helmet and blue lightweight race suit.
Moss was well known for his love of design and the latest gadgets. In 2009, the Stirling Moss brand was created, leading to various licensing opportunities. While qualifying for the 2011 Le Mans Legends race, Moss retired from competitive racing.
One of the original jet-setters, Stirling Moss, even after his death, remains a British icon of F1 and motorsports.
Stirling Moss Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1951–1961 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Mercedes-Benz, Maserati, Vanwall, Rob Walker, Cooper, Lotus (non-works), HWM |
| Entries | 67 (66 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 16 |
| Podiums | 24 |
| Career points | 185 9⁄14 (186 9⁄14)1 |
| Pole positions | 16 |
| Fastest laps | 19 |
| First entry | 1951 Swiss Grand Prix |
| First win | 1955 British Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1961 German Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1961 United States Grand Prix |
Sources: Stirlingmoss.com and Wikipedia.com
