Stirling Moss made me love F1 - Minardi hails late British great

Formula One great Stirling Moss

Giancarlo Minardi thanked Stirling Moss for making him fall in love with motorsport after the Formula One great died aged 90.

Moss' wife announced his passing on Sunday, following a long illness.

Minardi, whose eponymous racing team took part in the F1 World Championship from 1985 until their sale to Red Bull in 2006, credited Moss with stirring his passion for elite racing.

"Stirling Moss made me fall in love with this sport," he told Omnisport.

"When I was little I used to play with the Vanwall he drove to win GPs, but - unfortunately - never a title.

"He was a great person in the sports world and outside of it. It's a particularly sad day for motorsport, because we lost one of its icons."

Moss is widely considered to be the finest driver never to win the Formula One world championship, finishing runner-up four times and third three times from 1955 to 1961.