In Memoriam: Stirling Moss, the greatest F1 driver never to win the world title
F1 News
- GPblog.com
While the world enjoyed an Easter breakfast, the former Formula 1 driver Sir Stirling Moss died in the early hours of April 12th. The motorsports world lost another legend.
The love and passion for racing was poured into the young Stirling Moss. The Brit was born on 17 September 1929 in London, the son of Aileen and Alfred Moss, a dentist. Dinner came to the table as a result of work in the practice, but Stirling's father spent his free hours as an amateur racing driver and even competed in the Indy 500. Aileen was also a racing fanatic and participated in so-called hill climb races.
It was therefore no surprise that Stirling soon developed a penchant for racing cars and in 1948 he started racing at the age of 19. Against the will of his father, who preferred to see him in dentistry. Nevertheless, he managed to persuade his father to drive his first race in Alfred's own BMW 328. When he had won enough money in racing, he then bought his own Cooper 500.
Racing went well for Stirling and he soon had success in Formula 3 and other racing series, with his first major international victory in the RAC Tourist Trophy, just before his 21st birthday. That was only the first time, as Moss won the race a total of six times in his career. In 1951 he competed in his first Formula 1 race, the Grand Prix in Bremgarten. It was the starting shot for an impressive career in the upper echelon of motorsport.
The success in F1
The success ensured that Moss also caught the eye of larger teams, such as Mercedes-Benz in Formula 1. Team boss Alfred Neubauer proposed to him to buy a Maserati so that he could participate in the 1954 season. The Brit followed the advice and, despite the unreliability of the car, immediately managed to perform well. That season he won his first race at the Oulton Park International Gold Cup.
Perhaps the most impressive moment in his first season came during the Italian Grand Prix. In the Temple of Speed he caught up with Juan Manuel Fangio and Alberto Ascari, both of whom were considered the best Formula 1 drivers at the time. He led the race for 68 laps, until his car broke down. Fangio won the race, but Moss made an unforgettable impression, so Neubauer immediately gave him a contract for the next season.
Many victories, but never a title
In his ten-year career in Formula 1, Moss was able to put down very impressive figures and also participated in several other racing series. Nowadays the calendar already looks full, but the Brit even participated in 62 races for one year. On top of that he also achieved a lot of successes. In total he participated in 529 races and won 212 of them.
In Formula 1 Moss managed to win sixteen Grands Prix and he was on the podium 24 times. Yet with those impressive numbers he was never able to claim the world title. He came very close several times, with four second places and three third places in the standings, but not once did he manage to take that coveted title. Stirling Moss is rightly known as the best Formula 1 driver ever without a world title.
A life after racing
After his racing career, as well as during it, Moss remained engaged in the motorsport world. In 1962, he joined ABC as the expert commentator for Formula 1 and NASCAR racing. A career that he pursued for almost twenty years. For the children, Moss was also featured in the Roary the Racing Car series, in which the driver took on the role of narrator.
With his high-profile career behind the wheel, Stirling Moss has been honoured in several ways. For example, he was included in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990. On top of that, he was knighted in 2000, for his services to motorsport.
The impressive story of Stirling Moss came to an end on 12 April 2020. A day in which the motorsports world once again lost a legend. He fell asleep at the age of 90 in the presence of his wife, Susie Moss.