END OF THE RACE
Tributes pour in as F1 legend Sir Stirling Moss dies aged 90
HE was widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time – even though he never won the World Championship.
British motor racing legend Sir Stirling Moss won 16 of the 66 F1 races he competed in from 1951 to 1961 and was the first British driver to win a home grand prix in 1955 at Aintree.
The archetypal British racer, Sir Stirling was a hero to many, evidenced by the wealth of tributes yesterday following his death at the age of 90.
He had previously spent 134 days in hospital after suffering a chest infection while on holiday in Singapore in December 2016.
His wife, Lady Susie Moss, who nursed him through a long illness, confirmed his death at their central London home in the early hours of yesterday.
“He died as he lived,” she said. “Looking wonderful. He simply tired in the end and he just closed his beautiful eyes and that was that.
“It was one lap too many. He just closed his eyes.”
Sir Stirling’s former team, Mercedes, said motorsport had “lost not only a true icon and a legend, but a gentleman”, while 1996 F1 champion Damon Hill said he “launched all the other careers of British racing drivers who went on to become world champions”.
F1 world champion Sir Jackie Stewart, who came into the sport shortly after Sir Stirling’s retirement in 1961, said: “He walked like a racing driver should walk, he talked like a racing driver, he looked like a racing driver and he set a standard I think has been unmatched since he retired.”
Other tributes also came from commentator and former F1 driver Martin Brundle, who described him as a “mighty racer and gentleman”.
Retired F1 driver Johnny Herbert wrote: “Sad sad news that legend
Sir Stirling Moss has passed. World champion in all our eyes.”
Six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton: “Today we say goodbye to Sir Stirling Moss, the racing legend. I certainly will miss our conversations. Sending my prayers and thoughts to his family. May he rest in peace.”
The Mclaren team said: “All at Mclaren mourn the passing of a legend of our sport, Sir Stirling Moss.
“A prodigious competitor, supremely talented racer, and consummate gentleman, he leaves an indelible mark of greatness on the history of international motorsport. Our condolences to his family.”
Sports pundit Gary Linekar added:
“Sir Stirling Moss has reached life’s chequered flag, and what a race he drove. Wonderful driver and a lovely man.”
Speaking to Sky Sports, former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan said: “You say he’s one of the greatest drivers not to win the world championship but actually he was one of the greatest drivers ever – you don’t need to enlarge on that. He was all-powerful.
He was the one person that transcended the sport.”
In 1958, Sir Stirling famously lost out on the F1 title to Mike Hawthorn after vouching for his rival and stopping his disqualification when he was accused of reversing on track in the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Four times a runner-up in the F1 drivers’ championship, he was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1961 and received a knighthood in 2000.
He racked up a total of 212 victories in all categories, including setting a new course record in the famous
Mille Miglia, a 1,000-mile rally race around Italy.
He retired from top-level motorsport in 1962 after a crash at Goodwood left him in a coma for a month and partially paralysed for six months.
However, he continued to race in historic cars and legends events until the age of 81. The British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) said “no-one could have been prouder” than its longest-serving member Sir Stirling to be part of the organisation.
“In the history of motor racing, not just in his home country but also wherever he raced around the world, Sir Stirling held a unique status, which continued throughout his life, long after he retired from his front line racing career,” said the BRDC.
“He was universally recognised, following the retirement of the great Juan Manuel Fangio in 1958, as the racing driver who set the standards by which all other drivers were judged, whether in Formula 1 or international sports car racing. His versatility and competitive instincts made him a formidable competitor in any race.”
Sir Stirling is survived by his third wife, Susie, their son Elliot, and daughter Allison from an earlier marriage.
It was one lap too many. He just closed his eyes
Best driver of his era: Sport