Alan Jones, Australia's last Formula 1 champion, dies aged 80
Alan Jones, the 1980 Formula 1 world champion from Australia, has died on Thursday aged 80 after a short illness, his family announced.
Alan Jones, the Australian who won the Formula 1 (F-1) world championship, died on Thursday, 5 November, at the age of 80 after a short illness. Formula 1 is the top-level international motor racing series. His family announced his death.
Title with Williams
Jones won the F-1 championship in 1980. With that success he brought the Williams team its first individual title, meaning a Williams driver was the season's champion for the first time.
The last Australian champion
Jones was the second Australian to become an F-1 champion and remains the most recent one. Before him, his compatriot Jack Brabham took the title in 1959, 1960 and 1966.
Career record
Over his F-1 career, Jones took part in 116 races. He won 12 of them and reached the podium, finishing in the top three, 24 times. These numbers show how significant a figure he was in the series and in Australian motorsport history.
The family's announcement, as reported, gave no further details about the illness or any farewell arrangements. The news means Australia has lost the man who, so far, is the last of its drivers to have won the Formula 1 world championship.
