Motorsport · Melbourne
Alan Jones, 1980 Formula 1 world champion for Williams, dies aged 80
Australia's Alan Jones, the last Australian Formula 1 world champion, died on 5 November 2026 after a short illness, according to a statement issued for his wife, Amanda Butler-Davis.
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In brief
Jones died on 5 November 2026 at 80 after a short illness, according to a statement issued for his wife, Amanda Butler-Davis.
His 1980 title with Williams made him the second Australian champion after Jack Brabham, and he remains the last.
Jones won 12 grands prix in total, five of them in 1980 in Argentina, France, Britain, Canada and the United States.
- 1981Retires from full-time Formula 1 after the season
- 1986Last Formula 1 race
- 5 NovDies aged 80 after a short illness
A short illness and a family statement
Alan Jones died on 5 November 2026 at the age of 80 after a short illness, according to a statement issued on behalf of his wife, Amanda Butler-Davis. The family's message announced the death early that day. Jones had celebrated his 80th birthday on Monday, 2 November, and he was born in Melbourne on that date in 1946. He leaves his wife and six children. The statement said he had dedicated his life to motorsport and that his legacy would continue through the many people he met along the way.
The 1980 world title with Williams
Jones won the 1980 Formula 1 world championship driving for Williams, becoming the second Australian to win the title after Jack Brabham. He won five grands prix that season, in Argentina, France, Britain, Canada and the United States. He finished on the podium five more times and clinched the title with one race remaining. That year also gave Williams its first constructors' title. Over his whole career he won 12 grands prix. Jones remains the last Australian to be crowned Formula 1 world champion.
Route to Williams
Jones made his Formula 1 debut in 1975 with Hesketh. Before that he had moved to Europe in 1970 and joined the Formula 3 outfit GRD in 1973. He earned his first win at the Austrian Grand Prix in 1977 while driving for Shadow. He joined Williams in 1978 and found his greatest success there. His duels with Ferrari's Gilles Villeneuve, including at Monaco in 1981, and with Nelson Piquet are still remembered.
Retirement and later years
Jones retired from full-time Formula 1 after the 1981 season, although he came back to race a few times more. His final Formula 1 start came in 1986. After leaving the cockpit he stayed close to motorsport and worked for many years as a Formula 1 commentator on Australian television. His family described him as a passionate racer who shaped the sport. Australia now has no further world champion in the series after Jones, as the 1980 title remains the last won by one of its drivers.
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Sources and context
- N-tvThe sports day: Alan Jones is deadDer Sport-Tag: Alan Jones ist tot · original in German
- Süddeutsche ZeitungFormula 1 world champion Alan Jones died at the age of 80Formel-1-Weltmeister Alan Jones mit 80 Jahren gestorben · original in German
- FocusFormula 1 world champion Alan Jones died at the age of 80Formel-1-Weltmeister Alan Jones mit 80 Jahren gestorben · original in German
- Rai newsAlan Jones has died, he gave Williams its first world championship in 1980E' morto Alan Jones, regalò il primo mondiale alla Williams nel 1980 · original in Italian
- Alan Jones
- Former Formula 1 driver who won the 1980 world championship with Williams and died aged 80
- Jack Brabham
- Australian who was the first Australian Formula 1 world champion, before Jones
- Gilles Villeneuve
- Ferrari driver whose duels with Jones are remembered, including at Monaco in 1981
- Nelson Piquet
- Driver whose rivalry with Jones is remembered from the early 1980s
- Places
- Melbourne
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