Jody Scheckter

Jody David Scheckter (January 29, 1950 - Present): A South African racing driver, Jody Scheckter won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1979 with Ferrari and remains the only African driver to have won a Formula One Grand Prix or World Championship. Born in East London, South Africa, Scheckter worked as an engineering apprentice in his father's Renault dealership before pursuing racing. He competed in Formula One from 1972 to 1980, winning 10 Grands Prix and achieving 33 podiums. Scheckter's Formula One career began with McLaren in 1972 at the United States Grand Prix.

After driving for McLaren and Tyrrell, where he won his first races, Scheckter joined Wolf Racing in 1977 and immediately found success, winning three races in his first season with the new team. In 1979, he moved to Ferrari alongside Gilles Villeneuve. The combination proved formidable—Scheckter won three races and maintained consistency throughout the season, clinching the World Championship with victory at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, sending the tifosi into raptures. He became the last driver to win a championship for Ferrari until Michael Schumacher ended the 21-year drought in 2000.

Scheckter's 1979 championship was also the last for a Ferrari driver using a Ferrari engine until Schumacher's success. Following a disappointing 1980 season in an uncompetitive Ferrari, Scheckter retired from Formula One at age 30. Post-retirement, Scheckter worked as a broadcaster and founded a firearms training simulation business. Later, he established an organic farming business in the UK, demonstrating his diverse interests beyond motorsport.

His son Tomas also competed in Formula One briefly in the early 2000s.