Alan Jones, 1980 Formula 1 World Champion, Dies at 80

Alan Jones’ time at the absolute pinnacle of Formula 1 was brief—spanning just under three years from mid-1979 through the end of 1981—yet his impact endured.

Jones is forever linked with Williams, the team for which he claimed their maiden world championship in 1980. He shared a close, almost brotherly relationship with co-founders Frank Williams and Patrick Head.

Williams and Head admired Jones’ combative, straightforward demeanor. Together, they formed the dominant force in Formula 1 for a brief window as the team first rose to the sport’s forefront.

Every subsequent Williams driver was measured against Jones, and most fell short in the eyes of Williams and Head.

Though it took time for his talent to be fully recognized after his debut, his 1977 Austrian Grand Prix victory with the unfancied Shadow team—defeating Niki Lauda’s Ferrari outright—signaled his potential.

Joining Williams in 1978, the team performed strongly with their compact FW06 design, the first car overseen by Head at the dawn of his legendary career.

The real breakthrough came in 1979. When the new FW07 debuted mid-season, it and Jones quickly became the benchmark.

Early reliability issues prevented him from challenging Ferrari’s Jody Scheckter and Gilles Villeneuve for the title under the season’s unusual split scoring system, but he won four of the final six races, setting the tone for the following year.

In 1980, driving the upgraded FW07B, Jones and Williams were the team to beat. Though Nelson Piquet of Brabham mounted a serious title challenge—for whom Jones had scant regard—Jones won five of 14 races and secured the championship with one race remaining.

He could have, and perhaps should have, repeated in 1981, but a few retirements and some errors limited his wins to the season’s opening and closing grands prix.

His dominant victory at the unloved new Las Vegas street circuit in the Caesars Palace parking lot was eclipsed by teammate Carlos Reutemann’s stunning collapse in the championship battle with Piquet.

Despite being at the peak of his powers, Jones retired at 34 to return to his beloved Australia.

He believed it was the right decision, but the urge to return soon surfaced. A one-off appearance for Arrows in 1983 was followed by a full-time comeback with the new American Haas team—unrelated to the current organization of the same name.

The venture faltered. The car did not appear until the 12th race of 1985, and in 1986 it was unreliable and uncompetitive, despite assistance from then-unknown Adrian Newey.

The project folded at season’s end, and Jones departed Formula 1 for good. He continued to race sporadically into his 50s and also served as an F1 driver steward.

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