Alan Jones, Williams' first Formula One world champion, dies at 80

Alan Jones, the Australian who won the 1980 Formula One world championship, has died aged 80 after a brief illness, The West Australian reported on Thursday. His death came just days after his birthday. The Guardian reported that his wife, Amanda Butler-Davis, announced his death in a statement issued through Motorsport Australia.

Watch the highlights:

Jones's championship was a landmark for both his country and his team. He followed Jack Brabham as Australia's second Formula One world champion, while delivering Williams its first drivers' title. Formula 1's official account of his career credits him with 11 world championship race victories for Williams, following his breakthrough win for Shadow in 1977.

His route to the top began long before that partnership. The Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame records that he watched his father, Stan, race at Albert Park against competitors including Brabham and Stirling Moss. Jones later pursued his own career in Europe. According to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, his Formula One debut came in 1975 in a privately entered Hesketh backed by Harry Stiller.

A season with Surtees followed in 1976 before Jones moved to Shadow. His first Grand Prix victory came in Austria in August 1977, where he beat Niki Lauda in wet conditions, the Sport Australia Hall of Fame records. He joined Williams in 1978, beginning the association with Frank Williams and designer Patrick Head that would lead to the world title two years later.

The Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame identifies the Williams FW07 as the car behind his championship success. Its account also records achievements beyond Formula One: Jones won the American Can-Am championship in 1978 and the Australian GT championship in 1982. Those titles added successes in other categories to the international reputation he established in Grand Prix racing.

Jones left Formula One at the end of 1986 and continued racing touring cars in Australia. The Sport Australia Hall of Fame lists the 1993 Bathurst 12-hour race among his later victories, alongside a career in television commentary. He had been inducted into that hall in 1985, while the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame recognised him with Legend status in 2019.