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F1 Legend Jody Scheckter Loses Driving Licence in Italy
Former Formula 1 world champion Jody Scheckter, the only African to ever win the title, has found himself unable to legally drive in Italy after his UK driving licence expired. Now 75 years old, Scheckter revealed he’s unlikely to regain his licence due to the language barrier and strict local testing requirements.
Scheckter, who clinched the 1979 Formula 1 world championship with Ferrari, recently explained his predicament in an interview with Corriere della Sera. Although he spent many years living in England, he has now settled in northern Italy — a region close to Ferrari’s headquarters, the team that brought him to the peak of his racing career.
He shared that after moving to Italy, he was allowed to drive for a year using his UK licence. But now that it has expired, Italian law requires him to pass a local driving test to obtain a new one — a task he says is beyond him due to his poor Italian language skills.
“The problem is that I speak Italian very badly; I can’t possibly pass the test,” Scheckter admitted. “I chose Italy as my home. This is where I want to live.”
Scheckter has now hired a lawyer to explore any legal workarounds that might allow him to resume driving without undergoing the full Italian licensing process.
Born in 1950 in the Cape Province of South Africa, Scheckter entered the world of motorsport during a politically charged era in his home country. He moved through the ranks quickly, making his Formula 1 debut with McLaren in 1972 after a stint in British Formula 2. By 1974, he had secured a full-time F1 seat with Tyrrell Racing.
Over the course of his relatively brief but impactful career, Scheckter secured 10 race victories and 33 podium finishes. He retired from Formula 1 in 1980, just one year after achieving his world championship title. Following his retirement, he turned his attention to business and later took up farming in the UK.
Now enjoying life in Italy, Scheckter remains connected to Ferrari and the sport that made him a global icon. However, as of now, his future behind the wheel on public roads is uncertain — a frustrating twist for a man who once dominated some of the world’s fastest tracks.
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