SYDNEY (AP) — Alan Jones, the Australian who became the first driver to win a Formula 1 title with Williams, has died, his family said Thursday.
Jones, the 1980 Formula 1 world champion, died aged 80 after a brief illness.
“We are extremely saddened to announce the passing of our beloved Alan,” his wife Amanda said in a statement Thursday. “He will be dearly missed and fondly remembered by those closest to him, as well as the many fans whose support he was always grateful for."
Jones, an Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame and Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductee, was the second and so far last Australian to win the Formula 1 world title, the culmination of a career that featured 12 victories and 24 podium finishes.
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James Ellingworth, The Associated Press