Formula One drivers from South Africa none have competed in the sport since 1980. Jody Scheckter was the last person to enter a race having started the 1980 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. A total of 18 South African drivers have started in at least one race, but only three of them have ever scored any points. Some other drivers have entered Grand Prix events but did not qualify or otherwise make it through to start the race. That includes Desiré Wilson, one of the few female drivers in Formula One. Jody Scheckter's early career gave people cause to label him as a "fast
Tomas Scheckter such as Takuma Sato, Antônio Pizzonia and Narain Karthikeyan. He also had time to race in the prestigious Marlboro Masters F3 race at Zandvoort where he took the third podium position. To complete his year, he competed in the final four races of the FIA Formula 3000 Championship, finishing second at Hockenheim behind future IRL teammate Tomáš Enge. He also raced in the Open Telefónica by Nissan, finishing as championship runner-up. Scheckter was signed as a test/reserve driver by Jaguar for the 2001 Formula One season, but was soon let go after being found "kerb crawling." Scheckter was signed to