Scottish Formula 1 hopeful Susie Wolff has reacted furiously to Sir Stirling Moss's claim that women lack the mental capacity to beat their male compatriots on the track.

Moss, who stopped racing in 1961, claimed that while he believes women can stand next to men physically, when it comes to life or death situations - such as a race - they don't have the same capacity to think quickly.

In response, Wolff said: "I completely disagree with him. It makes me cringe hearing that.

"I don't know where to start after hearing that interview. I've got a lot of respect for Sir Stirling and what he achieved, but I think we're in a different generation.

"For Moss, it's unbelievable that a female would drive a Formula 1 car, which is fair enough. In the days they were racing, every time they stepped into a car, they were putting their life on the line. But F1 is much more technologically advanced, it's much safer than it was."

Susie Wolff
Susie Wolff poses alongside fellow Williams Formula One drivers Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas.

'They haven't got the mental aptitude'

Moss earlier told BBC 5 Live: "I think they have the strength, but I don't know if they've got the mental aptitude to race hard, wheel-to-wheel.

"We've got some very strong and robust ladies, but, when your life is at risk, I think the strain of that in a competitive situation will tell when you're trying to win.

"The mental stress I think would be pretty difficult for a lady to deal with in a practical fashion. I just don't think they have aptitude to win a Formula 1 race."

The most successful woman in F1 to date has been Italian Lella Lombard, who stared 12 races and scored a half point throughout the 1970s.

The last woman to enter an F1 Grand Prix race was Giovanna Amati in 1992, but Wolff is looking to change that, saying: "I'm in a position where I'm just trying to get into F1, but I do believe that it's possible for a women to get in, otherwise I wouldn't be doing this."