South African · East London, South Africa · Born 29 January 1950Jody Scheckter is a South African former racing driver who won the 1979 Formula 1 World Championship with Ferrari, remaining the only African driver in history to win a Grand Prix or the World Championship.
Jody Scheckter won the 1979 Formula 1 World Championship with Ferrari and remains the only African driver in the sport's history to win a Grand Prix or the World title — a distinction that still stands — with that championship also proving to be the last Ferrari drivers' title for 21 years, until Michael Schumacher's win in 2000. He moved to Britain in 1970 to pursue racing, making his Formula One debut with McLaren at the 1972 United States Grand Prix, initially earning a reputation as an erratic, crash-prone 'wild man,' most notoriously causing a multi-car pileup at the 1973 British Grand Prix that prompted calls for his ban. Scheckter matured quickly into a smooth, calculating racer, earning a full-time Tyrrell drive for 1974 and taking his maiden win at the Swedish Grand Prix that year, along with a home victory in South Africa in 1975. He moved to Wolf Racing in 1977, winning the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix and finishing runner-up in that year's World Championship to Niki Lauda. Scheckter joined Ferrari for 1979, partnering close friend Gilles Villeneuve, and the pair thrived together, winning three races apiece across a season built on Scheckter's more conservative, points-collecting strategy. He clinched the World Championship by winning the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, becoming the only African driver in Formula 1 history to win a Grand Prix or the World title — a distinction that still stands. His triumph was also the last Ferrari drivers' title until Michael Schumacher's win 21 years later. Scheckter retired from F1 after a difficult 1980 season, going on to a highly successful career in business, including founding a security software company, and later an organic farming and hospitality venture, Laverstoke Park Farm, in England.
Winning the 1979 Formula 1 World Championship, the only African driver ever to do so
How They Played
Matured from a fearless, crash-prone early style into a calculating, points-focused racer known for consistency and racecraft
Lasting Impact
South Africa's greatest-ever Formula 1 driver and a historic figure as the sport's only African World Champion, a record that still stands decades later
Career Honours
- F1 World Champion (1979, Ferrari)
- Only African driver to win a Formula 1 World Championship or Grand Prix
- 10x Grand Prix winner
- 33x podium finisher
- 1973 SCCA Formula 5000 champion
| Constructor | Season(s) | Races |
|---|---|---|
| McLaren | 1972–1973 | — |
| Tyrrell | 1974–1976 | — |
| Wolf | 1977–1978 | — |
| Ferrari | 1979–1980 | — |
| Career Total | — | 0 |
South African Athletes