Former F1 champion Jones dies aged 80

Alan Jones, the former Formula 1 world champion, has passed away at the age of 80. The Australian driver, who raced for Williams from 1979 to 1981, won the title in 1980, becoming the first of the team's seven world champions. Jones, who turned 80 on Monday, secured 12 victories throughout his career and competed in various formats until 2002.

His wife, Amanda Butler-Davis, announced his passing following a brief illness. Jones began his F1 career in 1975 and won his first race for the Shadow team in Austria in 1977. He joined Williams the following year, where he achieved his greatest success, winning the championship in 1980. Jones remains the most recent Australian to triumph at the Australian Grand Prix, securing victory in Melbourne's Calder Park Raceway in 1980.

After retiring from F1 at the end of 1981, Jones continued to participate in motorsport, including touring car and endurance races, and became a respected television commentator.