A Ferrari world champion can no longer drive in Italy: the strange case of the former F1 driver.
Before Michael Schumacher, he was the last driver to win a Formula 1 world championship with Ferrari. However, this recognition hasn’t spared him from encountering various problems with Italian bureaucracy.
The strange case of Jody Scheckter
Yes, because Jody Scheckter cannot drive in Italy despite having lived in Liguria for over a year. The issue is linked to the fact that his driving licence was originally obtained in South Africa and later converted into a British one. In order to legally drive in Italy, the former world champion would now have to retake the driving exam. This wouldn’t be impossible—were it not for the fact that all the tests are conducted in Italian.
“They’d definitely fail me, I speak your language very poorly,” Jody Scheckter told Corriere della Sera. “When I was just a tourist, I didn’t have this problem. Now that I’m a resident, I was given a one-year exemption to use my current licence, but that permission has expired. If I have to go play tennis, I ride my bike—otherwise, I have to call a driver,” added the 1979 Formula 1 world champion.
It’s a situation Jody Scheckter doesn’t seem able to resolve, except by taking the same test that every 18-year-old in Italy faces at least once in their life. What is certain is that a former driver like Jody Scheckter shouldn’t have any issues with the practical side of the exam.
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