By Fatma Younis
Alan Jones, the 1980 Formula One world champion, died on Thursday at the age of 80 following a short illness, his wife Amanda Butler-Davis announced. He remains the last Australian to win the F1 title and was only the second Australian to claim the championship after Sir Jack Brabham.
Racing career
Born in Melbourne to a racing driver, Jones made his Formula One debut in a Hesketh at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. He scored his first victory in the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix for Shadow before joining Williams in 1978. In the 1980 season he won five championship races and finished on the podium in all but one of the races he completed, securing the title ahead of Brazil's Nelson Piquet. An unsuccessful title defence in 1981 led him to return to Australia and buy a farm.
Comebacks and other series
Jones soon grew bored with farming and made a one-off F1 return with Arrows in 1983 before a full season with Haas. The car was uncompetitive, yielding a best finish of fourth, and he left F1 again in 1986. Away from Formula One, he won the 1978 Can-Am sportscar championship and finished third in his only IndyCar start in 1983. He continued racing in Australia's V8 Supercars series until 2002, when he was 55.
Later life
After retiring from driving, Jones worked as a television commentator and race steward, often criticising modern drivers as "prima donnas" and "too corporate." He is survived by his wife and six children.
