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Amanda Butler-Davis has released a statement honouring the life, achievements, and enduring legacy of her husband, 1980 Formula 1 champion Alan Jones, who died on Thursday, 5 November, following a brief illness. Jones passed away three days after celebrating his 80th birthday. Expressing deep sadness, Butler-Davis acknowledged the widespread appreciation from supporters throughout his life and thanked everyone who shared his journey through years of affection, friendship, and backing. She noted that he was remarkably fortunate to be surrounded by wonderful people. Jones is survived by Butler-Davis and his six children: Christian, Amber, Zara, Jack, Camilla, and Emma.
Motorsport Australia Tributes
Tributes across Australian motorsport highlighted Jones's historic status as the nation's second F1 champion following Sir Jack Brabham. Motorsport Australia president Andrew Fraser commemorated Jones's 12 grand prix victories and his 1980 title triumph with Williams, describing him as a formidable competitor on and off the circuit whose international achievements brought enormous national pride. Motorsport Australia chief executive Josh Blanksby expressed condolences to Butler-Davis and Jones's family, reflecting on his popularity and the lasting excitement he delivered across generations.
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Home Victory Distinction and Touring Car Success
The Australian Grand Prix Corporation highlighted that Jones still holds a special distinction from the year he became world champion, as his 1980 Australian Grand Prix victory stands as the most recent occasion an Australian driver has won their home grand prix. Alongside his international open-wheel career, Jones made a significant impact in Australian touring car racing, recording 186 Supercars starts, five race wins, three pole positions, and 17 podium finishes. Supercars extended sympathies to his family while remembering Jones as a racing legend.
Driver Guidance and Broadcasting Career
Grand prix winner Mark Webber, who became the third Australian driver to take an F1 victory at the 2009 German Grand Prix, credited Jones for providing support since they first met during the 1990s, calling the loss a sad day for Australian motorsport. Figures from sports broadcasting also shared personal recollections of working with Jones. Presenting on Channel Nine's Oaks Day coverage, Eddie McGuire lauded his candid approach and extensive contributions to the Wide World of Sports broadcast team, mentioning that Jones had celebrated his 80th birthday on Monday with his favourite caviar while abstaining from Grey Goose vodka.
Media Colleague Memories and Driving Style
Motorsport broadcaster Greg Rust shared memories of commentating on support races alongside Jones at Eastern Creek in the 1990s, praising his direct personality and quick wit while noting that you could have some fantastic laughs with him, such as during a hot lap in a Lexus LFA where Jones had the car pinned before leaving pit lane. Commentator Leigh Diffey added his condolences on social media, remembering him as a character and Australia's last F1 World Champion. Shortly before Jones's death, Formula 1 journalist Matt Bishop marked his 80th birthday with a tribute in Motor Sport Magazine, describing him as the most underrated world champion in the history of Formula 1 and writing that he was a race driver in the elemental sense: powerful, unsentimental, and fiercely competitive.
Contemporaries in Formula 1
Among his contemporaries on the Formula 1 grid, Gilles Villeneuve was more incandescent, Carlos Reutemann was more dextrous, Nelson Piquet was more calculating, and Jacques Laffite, Didier Pironi, and John Watson could all produce drives of extraordinary quality, too. However, Jones had the lot, combining the strength to fuel the effort, the stamina to maintain it, the bellicosity to impose himself, and a hefty dollop of sheer white-knuckle speed.
