Patrese remembers 'tough but very loveable' Alan Jones

Riccardo Patrese has paid tribute to Alan Jones, his first Formula 1 teammate, remembering the 1980 world champion as "a very tough — and at the same time — very lovable person." Jones died last Thursday at 80, drawing tributes from across motorsport.

Why it matters:

Patrese's memories explain a sliding-doors moment in 1977 that shaped two teams' futures, and they add texture to a driver remembered mainly for raw aggression.

The details:

• The pair shared nine grands prix at Shadow in 1977, their only double points finish coming at the Japanese Grand Prix, where Jones was fourth and Patrese sixth for his first F1 point.
• Patrese missed Jones's maiden win in Austria — Shadow's only F1 victory — after boss Pino Trivellato ordered him to honour a Formula 2 commitment. Unprepared organisers played "Happy Birthday" on a trumpet instead of the Australian anthem.
• At the end of 1977, both were courted by the new Arrows team and by Frank Williams, then running an operation Patrese calls "nothing compared with the top teams." Arrows picked Patrese in late November; he phoned Jones with the news, and the Australian took the Williams seat.

The big picture:

Patrese puts the choice down to youth over experience rather than pace: "Sometimes he was quicker than me. All the time we were really at the same pace." Jones won four races in 1979 and the title in 1980; Patrese joined Williams in 1987 and took four of his six career wins there.

Between the lines:

Jones's ruthless streak showed in 1981, when he ignored Carlos Reutemann's title hopes in the finale after their Brazil team-orders row. "He went straight to victory and really didn't care at all," Patrese said — but he wants the gentler man remembered too. "It was a pleasure to stay with him."