Motor racing legend Stirling Moss dies at the age of 90

Formula One great passes away in London after long battle with illness

Legendary British driver Stirling Moss at the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, New York, on October 7, 1961. He has passed away at the age of 90. AP

Stirling Moss after winning the Mille Miglia endurance race in Brescia, Italy, on May 1, 1955. Moss has died following a long illness. AFP

Stirling Moss. left, and Formula One world champion Jackie Stewart, right, in 1973. AFP

Stirling Moss after winning the Monaco Grand Prix on May 15, 1961. AFP

Stirling Moss leaves a hospital in London on June 23, 1962 following a crash at Goodwood in April. AFP

Stirling Moss, driving an Aston Martin, nears victory in the British Empire Trophy at Oulton Park in Cheshire in 1958. PA

Stirling Moss, driving an Aston Martin, while practising at Oulton Park in Cheshire for the British Empire Trophy in 1958 . PA

Stirling Moss waves to spectators as he sits in his 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza during the Ennstal Classic rally near the Austrian village of Groebming on July 20, 2013. Reuters

Stirling Moss poses with his 1954 Jaguar D Type outside Buckingham Palace in London in 2006. AFP

Stirling Moss has died aged 90 following a long illness, the British driver's wife announced on Sunday. AFP

Stirling Moss attends the 2009 British Formula One Grand Prix at the Silverstone racetrack. AP

Stirling Moss holds the British GP winners trophy which he won in 1955 as he stands in front of the Ferrari 250 GT SWB, which he raced to victory in the Goodwood Tourist Trophy in 1961. PA

Stirling Moss after he received an honorary doctorate in technology from Sunderland University, in acknowledgement of his achievements in the sport. PA

Sir Stirling Moss after he received his Knighthood from the Prince of Wales at an Investiture at Buckingham Palace in London in 2000. PA

Sir Stirling Moss and Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton in 2008. PA

Motor racing legend Sir Stirling Moss has died at the age of 90.

His wife Lady Moss was quoted as saying by Press Association that he died peacefully at his London home following a long illness.

"It was one lap too many," she said. "He just closed his eyes."

Though Moss never won the Formula One title, he finished runner-up four times and came third three times in a career during which he won 16 Grands Prix.

His sportsmanship famously cost him the title in 1958 when he defended the actions of rival Mike Hawthorne following a spin at the Portuguese Grand Prix, sparing Hawthorne a six-point penalty. Hawthorne went on to beat Moss to the title by a single point.

Moss' first GP win came in the 1955 British Grand Prix at Aintree as he became the first British driver to win the event.

In an age when racing drivers competed in several different disciplines alongside Formula One, Moss won a total of 212 of the 529 races he entered in his 14-year career, which began in 1948.

In an age when racing drivers competed in several different disciplines alongside Formula One, Moss won a total of 212 of the 529 races he entered in his 14-year career, which began in 1948.

Former world heavyweight champion Frank Bruno wrote on Twitter: "I am very saddened to hear the passing of Sir Stirling Moss. He privately supported me over many years and was an amazing driver in his time, he will be greatly missed. My thoughts are with his family and all that had the pleasure of knowing him".

Moss retired in 1962 after a heavy crash at Goodwood which left him in a coma for a month.

Born in London in 1929, Moss was the son of amateur racing driver Alfred and his wife Aileen.

He was knighted in the New Year Honours list in 2000 for services to motor racing.