Key Highlights
- Alan Jones, Australia’s 1980 Formula 1 world champion, has passed away on the Gold Coast at the age of 80 following a short illness.
- Jones secured the first-ever drivers’ world championship for Williams Grand Prix Engineering in 1980 and remains the last Australian to win the Australian Grand Prix.
- Following his grand prix career, Jones competed across domestic touring cars, CART, and sports cars, while also becoming a prominent Formula 1 television commentator.
Formula 1 World Champion Alan Jones Passes Away at Age 80
The motorsport world is in mourning following the passing of 1980 Formula 1 world champion Alan Jones, who died on the Gold Coast at the age of 80. The news of his death was confirmed in a statement released on behalf of his family by his wife, Amanda Butler-Davis, stating that he passed away following a short illness on Thursday, 5 November.
“We are extremely saddened to announce the passing of our beloved Alan, who passed away on 5 November following a short illness,” Butler-Davis said. “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.
“Alan dedicated his life to motorsport, building a legacy that will live on through the countless people he touched along the way.
“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.
“As a family, we would like to take this opportunity 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.”
From Melbourne to Grand Prix Immortality
Born in Melbourne in 1946, Alan Jones was raised in a motor racing environment. He was the son of businessman and racer Stan Jones, watching his father triumph in the 1959 Australian Grand Prix at Longford. Decades later, Jones matched his father’s success by taking victory at Calder Park in 1980. To this day, he stands as the last Australian driver to claim victory in the event, recognized as the world’s second-oldest grand prix.
Jones ventured to the United Kingdom to race during the 1960s before returning to Australia and subsequently moving to London in 1970. Establishing his presence took persistent effort, leading to a milestone Formula 3 victory at Silverstone in 1973 behind the wheel of a GRD, alongside securing second overall in the British F3 championship that same season.
His Formula 1 debut arrived in 1975 at the Spanish Grand Prix with Hesketh. After the outfit shuttered at the end of the year, Jones drove for Graham Hill’s team and later Surtees. Following the closure of Surtees, Jones’s racing prospects appeared to stall until a tragic turn of events provided an opening at Shadow after lead driver Tom Pryce died in South Africa. Driving in wet conditions at the Austrian Grand Prix, Jones scored an unexpected fairytale victory, overtaking local favorite Niki Lauda to achieve the first Formula 1 grand prix victory by an Australian driver since Sir Jack Brabham’s retirement.
Title Glory with Williams and Final Formula 1 Chapters
Enzo Ferrari held discussions with Jones for the 1978 campaign, but Ferrari ultimately signed Gilles Villeneuve. That decision steered Jones toward Frank Williams and his nascent operation. Debuting with the Williams FW06, Jones displayed front-running potential, narrowly missing victories due to a broken wing at Long Beach and a gearbox failure at Brands Hatch, before securing second behind Carlos Reutemann at the United States Grand Prix.
The introduction of the Williams FW07, developed at Grove, transformed the team into front-runners alongside teammate Clay Regazzoni. While mechanical issues at Silverstone denied Jones the outfit’s maiden victory—allowing Regazzoni to take top honors—Jones closed out the 1979 season with four victories from the final six races, finishing third in the drivers’ standings behind Jody Scheckter and Villeneuve.
In 1980, Jones delivered a commanding campaign to seal the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship. He collected five grand prix victories across Argentina, France, Great Britain, Canada, and the United States, concluding his landmark year with a non-championship win at Calder Park. In 1981, Jones guided Williams to the constructors’ championship while dueling Nelson Piquet for the drivers’ title, taking victories at Long Beach and Las Vegas before choosing to retire from full-time grand prix racing due to travel fatigue and retirements.
The competitive draw proved enduring. Jones briefly drove for Arrows at Long Beach in 1983, sat out 1984, and staged a comeback with the Beatrice-Haas team for three events in 1985 followed by a full 1986 campaign, which marked his final run in Formula 1.
Domestic Racing, TV Commentary, and Legacy
Returning to his native Australia, Jones remained an active competitor across various racing disciplines. He contested the Australian Touring Car Championship/V8 Supercars, earning a career-best championship finish of second in 1995. His diverse resume included sports car outings with Porsche and Toyota (featuring appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans), as well as CART racing with Newman-Haas. His professional racing career officially concluded in 2002 as a Bathurst 1000 co-driver for Dick Johnson Racing.
Jones subsequently transitioned to the broadcast booth, carving out a long career as a forthright analyst on Australian television coverage of Formula 1. In recognition of his international sporting achievements, Jones was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1980 and inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.
Jones is survived by his wife, Amanda Butler-Davis, and his six children: Christian, Amber, Zara, Jack, Camilla, and Emma.
Why This Matters
Alan Jones holds a historic place in motorsport as the competitor who delivered the maiden Formula 1 drivers’ and constructors’ world championships for Williams Grand Prix Engineering. Under the leadership of Frank Williams and Patrick Head, Jones’s aggressive driving style and technical feedback helped establish the Grove-based outfit as one of the most successful constructors in Formula 1 history. Nationally, Jones remains the last Australian to stand atop the podium at the Australian Grand Prix, anchoring his status alongside Sir Jack Brabham as one of only two Australians to have won the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where did Alan Jones win his Formula 1 World Championship?
Alan Jones won the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship in 1980 driving the FW07B for Williams, winning five championship grands prix in Argentina, France, Britain, Canada, and the United States.
Which teams did Alan Jones drive for during his Formula 1 career?
Jones competed in Formula 1 for Hesketh, Graham Hill’s Embassy Racing, Surtees, Shadow, Williams, Arrows, and Beatrice-Haas.
What were Alan Jones’s post-Formula 1 motorsport achievements?
After stepping back from Formula 1, Jones raced in V8 Supercars (finishing runner-up in 1995), competed in sports cars at Le Mans with Porsche and Toyota, ran CART events with Newman-Haas, and worked as an outspoken Formula 1 television commentator in Australia.
