Silvio Moser

Silvio Moser (24 April 1941 - 26 May 1974): Swiss racing driver who competed in 19 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix (12 starts) between 1967 and 1971, primarily driving Brabham cars, before being killed in a sports car racing accident at Monza at age 33. Born in Zurich, Switzerland, Moser progressed through European racing in the 1960s, demonstrating talent that earned him Formula One opportunities with various teams. He made his Formula One debut at the 1967 British Grand Prix at Silverstone driving a Cooper-ATS for Vögele Team. His career developed through drives with several privateers and small teams, though he struggled to secure consistent competitive machinery.

Moser's most successful Formula One period came driving Brabham cars. In 1968, he drove a Brabham-Repco BT20 and achieved his joint-best result with fifth place at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. In 1969, he competed in a privately-entered Brabham BT24 with Cosworth power and matched his best result with sixth place at the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. These points-scoring finishes demonstrated that with decent equipment, Moser possessed respectable speed.

In 1970, Moser commissioned his own Formula One car, the Bellasi-Cosworth, designed and built specifically for him. The project proved unsuccessful, with the car lacking competitiveness. After the Bellasi's failure, Moser returned to more conventional machinery for one final race in 1971 before stepping away from Formula One. He scored a total of three championship points from his 12 race starts, a modest but respectable tally given the equipment at his disposal.

After leaving Formula One, Moser returned to Formula Two, driving a Brabham in 1971 and 1972, and a Surtees in 1973, continuing to compete in junior single-seater categories. He also maintained an active sports car racing program, competing in endurance events including major international races. Tragically, Moser died on 26 May 1974 following a horrific accident during practice for the Monza 1000 Kilometres sports car race. After his car developed problems, he toured back toward the pits but had failed to properly refasten his safety harness.

He crashed heavily, and without adequate restraint, sustained fatal head injuries. He was 33 years old. The circumstances of his death—crashing while returning to the pits with an unfastened harness—highlighted the critical importance of proper safety equipment use at all times, even when not racing competitively. Moser's death marked another tragedy in Switzerland's already limited Formula One history.

Switzerland had banned circuit racing in 1955 following the Le Mans disaster, forcing Swiss drivers to race abroad throughout their careers. Moser competed during an era when Swiss motorsport talent had minimal domestic opportunities but occasionally produced drivers capable of competing internationally. Known for: Achieving two fifth/sixth place finishes in Formula One (Zandvoort 1968 and Watkins Glen 1969), commissioning the unsuccessful Bellasi Formula One car in 1970, scoring three World Championship points from 12 starts driving primarily Brabham cars, and dying from head injuries in a 1974 sports car crash at Monza after failing to properly refasten his safety harness.