Alan Jones, Australian F1 world champion, dies aged 80
The 1980 Formula 1 world champion died on 5 November following a short illness.
Alan Jones, Australia's second and most recent Formula 1 world champion, has died aged 80 after a brief illness. He won 12 grands prix and delivered Williams its first Drivers' title in 1980.
Key takeaways
- Alan Jones died on 5 November aged 80 following a short illness, ABC Sport reported.
- Jones won the 1980 Formula 1 world championship with Williams.
- He won 12 grands prix across his F1 career.
- He was the second and so far last Australian to win the title, after Sir Jack Brabham.
- His wife Amanda Butler-Davis released a family statement.
Alan Jones, the 1980 Formula 1 world champion, has died aged 80 after a short illness, his wife Amanda Butler-Davis announced on 5 November. Jones, who won 12 grands prix during his Formula 1 career, joined Sir Jack Brabham as the only Australian to be crowned world champion and remains the most recent Australian to win the title.
Why it matters
Jones won the 1980 Formula 1 world championship for Williams, delivering the team its first Drivers' World Championship. He scored 12 Grand Prix wins and 24 podium finishes across his career. His father, Stan, was a racing driver who won the 1959 Australian Grand Prix.
Jones left for Europe in the late 1960s but could not afford to start his racing career overseas. He returned to Australia before moving to London in 1970.
He got his break in 1973 with a sponsored Formula 3 gig with GRD, taking his first win at Silverstone that year and finishing second in the British F3 championship.
He made his F1 debut in 1975 for Hesketh at the Spanish Grand Prix, a race remembered for a crash that caused the death of five spectators.
The team went out of business before the season finished, and Jones moved to Graham Hill's team, where a fifth-place finish at the Nürburgring was the highlight.
An ill-fated season with Surtees in 1976 left his F1 career in limbo, before the tragic death of driver Tom Pryce at the 1977 South African Grand Prix led to Jones being signed by the Shadow team.
Jones claimed his maiden win in Austria in 1977, driving for Shadow. He joined Williams a year later, winning four races and finishing third in the standings in 1979.
Then came his championship win in 1980, when he beat Nelson Piquet to the title by 13 points. Jones retired at the end of the following season but returned in 1985, with his final F1 race coming at the Australian Grand Prix in 1986.
He then raced in V8 Supercars for several years, claiming two podiums in the Bathurst 1000 and finishing second in the 1993 championship for Peter Jackson Racing. After retiring from the track he enjoyed a long career as a broadcaster, appearing on Nine's F1 coverage.
Jones was married to wife Amanda, with whom he shared a 30-year relationship and two twins, Zara and Jack, 25. He also has two other daughters named Emma and Camilla, as well as an adopted son, Christian, who has also raced in motorsport.
What happens next
As a family, they would like to thank everyone who was part of Alan's journey for the many years of friendship, love and support. He was incredibly fortunate to have so many wonderful people around him.
By the numbers
Jones won 12 grand prix races from 116 starts. He won five races in the 1980 Formula 1 world championship. He beat Nelson Piquet to the title by 13 points. He celebrated his 80th birthday just days before his death on 5 November.
Alan Jones career figures
Figure | Detail |
|---|---|
Formula 1 world championships | 1 (1980) |
Grand Prix wins | 12 |
Formula 1 race starts | 116 |
Years active in F1 | 1975 to 1986 |
Australian F1 champions | 2 (Jones and Sir Jack Brabham) |
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