Breaking: Australian racing icon and F1 world champion Alan Jones dies

Australian motor racing icon Alan Jones dies aged 80By Michael DoyleTopic:Motor SportsPosted Thu 5 Nov 2026 at 12:56pmThu 5 Nov 2026 at 12:56pm, updated Thu 5 Nov 2026 at 1:06pmThu 5 Nov 2026 at 1:06pmAlan Jones won 12 grand prix races. (Getty Images: GP Library/Universal Images Group)Alan Jones, the 1980 Formula 1 world champion, has died aged 80.He won 12 grands prix across his F1 career, and joined Sir Jack Brabham as the only Australians to be crowned world champion.Jones turned 80 on Monday.Jones moved to London in 1970 to pursue his motor racing dream, and a lucky break came in 1973 when he got a sponsored Formula 3 gig with GRD. He took his first win at Silverstone that year and went on to finish second in the British F3 championship.He made his F1 debut in 1975 for Hesketh, where a fifth-place finish at the Nürburgring was the highlight.An ill-fated season with Surtees in 1976 left his F1 career in limbo, before the tragic death of South African driver Tom Pryce led to Jones being signed by the Shadow team to race for them in 1977.Jones claimed his maiden win in Austria, which led to Ferrari offering and then reneging on a deal for the Australia.Ferrari instead signed Gilles Villeneuve, while Jones ultimately signed for Williams.Jones won five grands prix in 1980 — Argentina, France, Britain, Canada and the USA — to claim the world title and become just the second Australian to achieve that honour.