Alan Jones, 1980 Formula 1 champion, dies at 80

Alan Jones, the 1980 Formula 1 world champion and Williams’s first title-winning driver, died on November 5 at age 80, his wife said. Amanda Butler-Davis said he died after a short illness. The family has not publicly identified a specific cause of death in the statements reported here. Jones’s championship made him the second Australian to win Formula 1’s drivers’ title, after Jack Brabham. He remains the last Australian to win it. His 1980 victory also gave Williams its first drivers’ championship, in the team’s fourth season in Formula 1. Williams said Jones was instrumental in the team’s development and remembered his connection with founder Frank Williams and technical chief Patrick Head. The team described him as its first drivers’ world champion and sent condolences to his family and friends. The Australian Grand Prix said his title had inspired a generation of Australian motorsport fans. Jones won 12 Formula 1 races during a career that ran from 1975 to 1986. He joined Williams in 1978 after racing for teams including Hesketh, Surtees and Shadow. His first Grand Prix victory came with Shadow at the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix. In 1980, he won five races and secured the...