Sainz and Albon honour Williams’ first world champion Alan Jones

Current Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon have paid tribute to Alan Jones, the team’s first world champion, after the Australian died aged 80 on Thursday.

In 1980, Jones won five Grands Prix as Williams claimed its first drivers’ and constructors’ titles; Carlos Reutemann was his team-mate. Jones’s partnership with team boss Sir Frank Williams and technical chief Sir Patrick Head was instrumental in the team’s rise.

Sainz said Jones had been a strong figure in Williams’ history and described his death as a major loss for the team, given all he had done for it. Albon called him a Williams legend and credited him with bringing the team success and moving it forward.

Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali also paid tribute, describing Jones as a formidable competitor and natural leader whose significance extended beyond his achievements on track.

Speaking before the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri described it as a very sad day. “A life that should be very well celebrated,” he said. Piastri remembered Jones as straightforward and said the Australian had often said kind things about Piastri. He also said he had driven Jones’s world-championship-winning car, though he and Jones had little personal interaction.