Sir Stirling Moss to retire from public life after illness

Moss never won a World Championship to reflect his talent behind the wheel

Motor racing legend Sir Stirling Moss has decided to retire from public life following a long illness.

A statement from his son said Moss had made the decision because of his "slow recovery" from health problems.

The 88-year-old spent 134 days in hospital after suffering a chest infection while on holiday in Singapore in December 2016.

Moss and his wife will now "spend more time with each other and the rest of the family", said the statement.

Moss is widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time, even though he did not win the World Championship.

• Archive: Moss on his near-death experiences in the car

He won 16 of the 66 grands prix in which he competed from 1951-66, was the first British F1 driver to win his home race. He won a total of 212 races of the 529 events he entered in categories across motorsport.

Among his greatest victories were the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix, which he won in a Lotus against the faster Ferraris, and the 1955 Mille Miglia, when he set a new course record in the famous 1,000-mile race around Italy.

He famously lost out on the F1 title in 1958 to countryman Mike Hawthorn after vouching for his rival and preventing him being disqualified when he was accused of reversing on track in the late-season Portuguese Grand Prix.

Moss was effectively forced to retire 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.