Alan Jones

Alan Jones was the tough, uncompromising Australian who won the 1980 World Championship and became the cornerstone driver of the rising Williams team. Born in Melbourne in 1946, the son of racer Stan Jones, he embodied a hard-nosed, combative approach that made him one of the most formidable competitors of his era.

After early seasons with backmarker outfits including Hesketh, Hill, Surtees and Shadow, Jones took a breakthrough win with Shadow at the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix. He joined Williams for 1978 and became the team's first championship-winning driver in 1980, leading a season in which Williams established itself as a dominant force. Across his career he recorded 12 wins, 24 podiums and 6 pole positions in 117 starts.

Jones effectively retired at the end of 1981, made later comebacks, and his title helped launch one of Formula 1's most successful constructors. He is regarded as the spearhead of the Williams dynasty that followed.

Jones raced with relentless aggression and physical strength, thriving in wheel-to-wheel combat and never giving an inch. His blunt, no-nonsense character matched his driving, and he formed the rock on which Williams built its championship credentials. As the team's first title-winner, he remains a pivotal figure in the story of one of Formula 1's most storied constructors.