The last time Formula 1 ignored the signs
Bahrain wasn't the first time Formula 1 found itself out of step with international politics. Dieter Rencken looks back to the 1985 South African Grand Prix
In 1979, at the peak of South Africa's political, technological, sporting and economic isolation, Jody Scheckter, born within three years of the 'apartheid' government assuming power, captured the world title in the world's most expensive and technological sport.
Significantly, Scheckter, who was teamed with French-Canadian Gilles Villeneuve and sponsored by the Brooklyn chewing-gum company, drove an Italian Ferrari running on French Michelin tyres and suspended on Dutch Koni dampers to the title. It was a remarkable achievement, particularly given that his home country was then ostracised by other world sports over its social-engineering policies.
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