Alan Jones, former F1 champion, has died at the age of 80

Alan Jones, one of the two Australians to have won a Formula 1 world championship, died on Thursday at the age of 80. The former driver, who retired from competitive racing in 1986, died following an illness.

Born in Melbourne on November 2, 1946, Jones made his Formula 1 debut in 1975, driving a Hesketh car. His first victory came in 1977 at the Austrian Grand Prix, when he was racing for the Shadow team.

In 1978, the Australian joined the Williams team, with which he achieved the most important results of his career. In the 1980 season, Jones won five races, in Argentina, France, Great Britain, Canada and the United States, and became world champion.

He initially ended his career at the end of the 1981 season, but returned for a few appearances, his last race taking place in 1986. Subsequently, he remained involved in motor racing and was a commentator for Formula 1 broadcasts in Australia.