MELBOURNE : Alan Jones, who became the second Australian to win the Formula One world championship and secured Williams’ first drivers’ title in 1980, died on Thursday, a few days after his 80th birthday.
Jones followed in the footsteps of compatriot Jack Brabham when he claimed the title, becoming the first of the British team’s seven world champions.
“We are extremely saddened to announce the passing of our beloved Alan, who passed away on 5 November following a short illness,” his wife Amanda Butler-Davis said in a statement released on her behalf by Motorsport Australia.
“He will be dearly missed and fondly remembered by those closest to him, as well as the many fans whose support he was always grateful for.”
A tough and uncompromising racer, Jones embodied the type of driver team founder Frank Williams sought as he built an outfit that went on to win nine constructors’ championships in the 1980s and 1990s.
“He never needed propping up mentally, because he was a very determined and bullish character,” Williams, who died in 2021, said of Jones, according to Formula One’s official website.
“He didn’t need any babysitting or hand-holding and that’s the way it should be.”
Born in Melbourne to a racing driver, Jones moved to Europe to pursue his ambitions and made his Formula One debut with Hesketh at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix.
He claimed the first of his 12 grand prix victories with Shadow in Austria in 1977, but his career gained momentum after joining Williams in 1978.
Jones won five races during the 1980 season and finished on the podium in every grand prix he completed apart from one, beating Brazilian Nelson Piquet to the championship.
He remains Australia’s last Formula One world champion and the last Australian to win the national grand prix, taking victory at Melbourne’s Calder Park Raceway in 1980 when the event was not part of the world championship.
Jones started 116 Formula One races and secured his final victory in Las Vegas in 1981 before announcing his retirement at the end of that season.
After turning down an approach from Ferrari and making a brief return for two races, Jones rejoined Formula One with the new Haas team in 1985. He raced through the 1986 season, largely without success, before retiring for good.
He continued competing in touring car and endurance racing, mainly in Australia, into the early 2000s, making his final V8 Supercars appearance in 2002.
After leaving Formula One, Jones became a motorsport pundit on Australian television, where his insight and straight-talking style made him popular with fans.
“Alan dedicated his life to motorsport, building a legacy that will live on through the countless people he touched along the way,” his wife’s statement said.
“Through his achievements, passion and unmistakable character, both on and off the track, Alan left an enduring mark on the sport both nationally and across the globe.”
