Alan Jones dies aged 80: Ex-F1 champion ‘dedicated his life to motorsport’

Alan Jones, the last Australian and first Williams driver to win the Formula 1 world title, has died at the age of 80.

Jones raced in F1 between 1975 and 1986, winning the title in 1980 to become the first of Williams’ seven world champions.

Jones, who turned 80 on Monday, won 12 grands prix in his career and raced competitively in other formats until 2002.

“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.”

Jones started the first of his 116 F1 races in a Hesketh at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix.

He won his first race for the Shadow team in Austria in 1977 before joining Williams the following year.

After finishing third in the drivers’ championship in 1979, he won five races in 1980 and finished on the podium in all but one of the grands prix he completed, taking the title ahead of Nelson Piquet.

Jones was the second Australian to win the F1 championship, after Jack Brabham in 1959, 1960 and 1966.

Jones remains the most recent Australian to triumph at the Australian Grand Prix, winning at Melbourne’s Calder Park Raceway in 1980 when the race was not part of the world championship.

He finished third in the drivers’ standings in 1981, winning in Las Vegas for what proved to be his final race victory. He retired at the end of the season.

Having appeared in one race for Arrows in 1983, Jones made a full-time comeback with new team Haas in 1985 and raced largely unsuccessfully the following year.

He continued to compete in touring car and endurance races, mostly in Australia, and became a popular motorsports pundit on television in his home country.

“Alan dedicated his life to motorsport, building a legacy that will live on through the countless people he touched along the way,” Butler-Davis 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.”