The British Grand Prix, a race steeped in tradition, has seen its fair share of moments that have shaped the history of the sport. From being chosen to kick-off the then newly-formed Formula One World Championship in 1950, to bearing witness to the legendary Ferrari squad’s first race win; from home hero Nigel Mansell’s epic 1987 race win at the heights of Mansellmania to Michael Schumacher’s controversial pit-lane victory in 1998, the British Grand Prix has seen it all.
With the race just around the corner, I thought it would be apt to look back at one of several such moments, when a young Englishman by the name of Stirling Moss, now a legend in his own right, made history by becoming the first ever Briton to win his home race.
The year was 1955. At the time Moss, whose talent was plain for all to see but was somewhat limited by the uncompetitive and unreliable cars he had been driving, had just been offered the dream drive – a seat alongside double world champion Juan Manuel Fangio at the Mercedes-Benz works team that had impressed on its return to top-flight racing a year ago.
The 25-year-old Englishman hadn’t had anything in the way of any major success in Grand Prix racing at the time, and though the German marque’s legendary motorsport boss, Alfred Neubauer, was convinced of Moss’ ability, he wanted to see how Moss coped with a competitive car before signing him as part of Mercedes’ works effort.
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