Jody Scheckter
Formula One racing driver and world champion
By South African Index Editorial Desk · Published · Updated
Jody Scheckter is a South African former Formula One driver who won the 1979 World Drivers’ Championship for Ferrari. He secured the title in his first season with the team, defeating Ferrari team-mate Gilles Villeneuve in the championship standings. [1][2][3]
Across his Formula One career Scheckter started 112 Grands Prix, won 10 races and recorded 33 podium finishes. His career included spells with McLaren, Tyrrell, Wolf and Ferrari. [6][1]
Biography
Scheckter was born in East London on 29 January 1950. Formula One’s Hall of Fame records that his father owned a Renault dealership, where Scheckter worked as an engineering apprentice. He began racing motorcycles and saloon cars before winning the South African Formula Ford series in 1970 and receiving a Driver To Europe scholarship. [1]
McLaren gave Scheckter his Formula One debut at the 1972 United States Grand Prix. His early career was marked by exceptional speed as well as serious accidents, including the multi-car crash he triggered at Silverstone in 1973. After joining Tyrrell for 1974, his approach became more controlled: he won two Grands Prix that season and finished third in the championship. [1]
Scheckter remained with Tyrrell through 1976. In the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix he won with the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34; Formula One records him as the only driver to have won a Grand Prix in a six-wheeled car. He then joined the new Wolf team for 1977, won three races and finished second in the championship behind Ferrari’s Niki Lauda. [1]
Ferrari signed Scheckter for 1979 alongside Gilles Villeneuve. Driving the Ferrari 312 T4, he won in Belgium, Monaco and Italy. The official 1979 standings record Scheckter on 51 points and Villeneuve on 47. His Italian Grand Prix victory at Monza secured the Drivers’ Championship with two races remaining and helped Ferrari clinch the Constructors’ title. [2][3][4]
The 1980 Ferrari 312 T5 was far less competitive. Ferrari records that the team finished eighth in the Constructors’ Championship and that Scheckter retired from Formula One at the end of the season, aged 30. Formula One later documented his move into business and farming after racing. [5][1]
Key contributions
Won the 1979 Formula One World Drivers’ Championship for Ferrari, securing the title at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. [2][3]
Won 10 Formula One Grands Prix and achieved 33 podium finishes across 112 starts. [6]
Won the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix in the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34, the only Formula One Grand Prix victory achieved by a six-wheeled car. [1]
Life and career timeline
Born in East London, South Africa, on 29 January. [1]
Won the South African Formula Ford series and earned a Driver To Europe scholarship. [1]
Made his Formula One debut with McLaren at the United States Grand Prix. [1]
Won two Grands Prix for Tyrrell and finished third in the World Drivers’ Championship. [1]
Won the Swedish Grand Prix in the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34. [1]
Won three races for Wolf and finished second in the World Drivers’ Championship. [1]
Joined Ferrari, won three Grands Prix and secured the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship at Monza. [2][4]
Completed his second Ferrari season and retired from Formula One. [5][1]
Frequently asked questions
Who is Jody Scheckter?
Jody Scheckter is a South African former Formula One driver and the 1979 Formula One World Drivers’ Champion. [1][3]
Did Jody Scheckter race for Ferrari?
Yes. Scheckter raced for Scuderia Ferrari in 1979 and 1980. He won the Drivers’ Championship in his first Ferrari season. [2][5]
When did Jody Scheckter win the Formula One World Championship?
He won the 1979 World Drivers’ Championship, finishing on 51 points ahead of Ferrari team-mate Gilles Villeneuve on 47. [3]
Where was Jody Scheckter born?
He was born in East London, South Africa, on 29 January 1950. [1]
How many Formula One races did Jody Scheckter win?
Scheckter won 10 Formula One Grands Prix in a career of 112 starts and recorded 33 podium finishes. [6]
What was unusual about Jody Scheckter’s 1976 Swedish Grand Prix victory?
He won in the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34. Formula One identifies him as the only driver to win a Grand Prix in a six-wheeled car. [1]
Sources
- Formula 1, Jody Scheckter — Hall of Fame (Formula One World Championship Limited). Original source. Accessed 2026-10-04. ↩
- Ferrari, Scheckter World Title — 1979. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-04. ↩
- Formula 1, 1979 Drivers’ Standings (Formula One World Championship Limited). Original source. Accessed 2026-10-04. ↩
- Formula 1, 1979 Race Results (Formula One World Championship Limited). Original source. Accessed 2026-10-04. ↩
- Ferrari, 1980 — History of Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-04. ↩
- STATS F1, South Africa — Drivers. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-04. ↩