Stirling Moss’s PA: He said racing was too safe today
MOTOR racing legend Sir Stirling Moss reckoned modern Formula One was “far too safe”, says his former PA. Valerie Pirie said he had disagreed with another former driver, Sir Jackie Stewart, who championed safety measures, and believed the sport needed to carry risks. Her comment came a week after a crash involving Romain Grosjean in which his car burst into flames and was cut in two by a fence.
The French driver escaped almost unscathed and it is believed his “halo” – a titanium and carbon device that protects a driver’s head – bent the barrier and saved his life. Despite this, Sir Stirling, left and inset, believed risk went with the territory says Valerie, right.
“Stirling just said it was far too safe. He and Jackie didn’t see eye to eye at all on the safety of circuits,” she added.
“He felt that if you went round a corner and there was a tree in sight, psychologically, it was more difficult to take than if it wasn’t there.
“So he would think that the tree should be there. That said, those boys last week had to get in their cars after that dreadful accident.”
She added: “Stirling was very conscious that the public paid money to see him race.
“He was an entertainer and his prime objective was to win, not at any cost though.
“He had such faith in himself that he could beat anyone, even in an inferior car. He just didn’t think about death. Though after the death of another driver, he once said to me, ‘If you can’t stand the heat Val, get out now – it could happen to me’. But he was simply thinking about me losing my job. Whatever happened the show must go on. It was like the theatre.”
Sir Stirling eventually crashed spectacularly at Goodwood in 1962, bringing about his retirement at 33.
Sir Stirling Moss: The Uncrowned King of F1, Sky Documentaries & NOW TV, available from December 11
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