Stirling Moss

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Moss was born in London to amateur racing drivers Alfred and Aileen Moss. His father had come 16th in the 1924 Indianapolis 500. Moss was a gifted horse rider, as was his younger sister, Pat Moss, who became a successful rally driver. He received his first car, an Austin 7, from his father at age nine. He purchased his own car at age 15 after obtaining a driving licence. Moss raced from 1948 to 1962, winning 212 of 529 races, including 16 Formula One Grands Prix. He kept the record of most Formula One Grand Prix victories by an English driver until 1991.

In Their Own Story

In the Italian Grand Prix of 1954, while driving for Maserati just before joining Mercedes, Moss demonstrated exceptional skill by passing both Fangio in his Mercedes and Alberto Ascari in his Ferrari. He took the lead until lap 68 when his engine failed, forcing him to push the car to the finish line. This performance impressed Mercedes racing boss Alfred Neubauer, who had already seen Moss test a W196 at Hockenheim, leading to his signing for the 1955 season. Once with Mercedes, Moss's forward-thinking attitude shone in 1958 when he won the first race of the season in a rear-engined F1 car. At Monza that year, he drove the Maserati 420M in the Race of Two Worlds, becoming the first single-seater in Europe sponsored by a non-racing brand: the Eldorado Ice Cream Company. This marked the first instance of contemporary sponsorship in Europe, with ice-cream colors replacing FIA-assigned ones.

Reader's Guide

Moss made his Formula One debut at the 1951 Swiss Grand Prix with HWM. He joined Mercedes in 1955, taking his maiden win at the British Grand Prix as he finished runner-up in the championship to Juan Manuel Fangio. Moss again finished runner-up to Fangio in 1956 and 1957 with Maserati and Vanwall. He took four wins in his 1958 campaign, but lost out on the title to Mike Hawthorn by one point. From 1959 to 1961, Moss competed for Walker, taking multiple wins in each as he finished third in the World Drivers' Championship three times. He achieved 16 wins, 16 pole positions, 19 fastest laps and 24 podium finishes in Formula One.

Did You Know?

• Moss won the Mille Miglia in 1955 with co-driver Denis Jenkinson, completing the race in ten hours and seven minutes.
• He was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1961.
• Moss was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.