Alan Jones left an “indelible mark” on the historical past of the Williams F1 workforce, believes former boss Claire Williams.
Jones, the 1980 F1 world champion, died final week aged 80 after a brief sickness in Australia.
The 12-time grand prix winner entered the historical past books in 1980 as the primary driver to win the world title for Williams, with the likes of Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, and Alain Prost following in his footsteps for Sir Frank Williams and Sir Patrick Head.
Jones was typically used because the yardstick by which all Williams drivers had been judged, having raced for the workforce between 1978 and 1981, with former deputy workforce principal and Sir Frank’s daughter, Claire, reflecting on the Melbourne native’s passing.
“It was so unhappy to listen to of Alan’s passing,” Williams informed RacingNews365 completely.
“There are a selection of people that have been part of the workforce over an extended, lengthy interval of our historical past, and there have been a great handful which have left such an indelible mark as Alan did.
“He was Dad and Patrick’s first world champion, and that meant an unlimited quantity. I used to be very younger; I used to be solely 4 when Alan raced for us, however I knew him and constructed a stunning relationship with him once I was workforce principal, and he was enormously supportive of me, courtesy of his relationship with my dad.
“He wasn’t a driver that got here and went as a lot as his time within the sport was fairly quick comparatively. He simply had a persona that my dad actually admired and revered, and I feel they had been very related of their personalities.
“It was that simply type of mindset of roll your sleeves up, put in each ounce of your fibre to get the job executed and to win. That was their mindset.
“Sadly, it is one other racing nice [who has died]. It is one other icon who’s not right here, and that is extremely unhappy.
“My ideas are together with his household, together with his mates, and people who will really feel his passing sorely.”
