{"id":241602,"date":"2023-10-03T13:13:11","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T11:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T13:09:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T11:09:24","slug":"the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/","title":{"rendered":"Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg: the two champions who built Williams"},"content":{"rendered":"

The usual story is that Williams became great with Honda and Renault engines, with Mansell, Prost, Hill and Villeneuve. That is only partly true. Williams became a winning team earlier, between 1980 and 1982, with two drivers nobody considered destined for greatness, Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg<\/strong>, and with a funding model we would now call a tailor-made international sponsorship.<\/p>\n

The starting numbers say it all. Williams Grand Prix Engineering was founded in 1977 by Frank Williams and Patrick Head. Three years later it won its first drivers’ title and its first constructors’ title. Today it counts seven drivers’ and nine constructors’ championships: the third most successful team ever, behind Ferrari (16 constructors’ titles) and McLaren (10). The first two drivers’ titles carry the names of a prickly Australian and a Finn born in Sweden.<\/p>\n

Before the titles, the money: how Williams found its sponsors<\/h2>\n

In 1977 Frank Williams flew to Saudi Arabia looking for backers. He came home with a deal with Saudia, the national airline, with Albilad and with the Dallah group: from 1978 the cars raced in those colors. The following year TAG, the Ojjeh family company run by Mansour, joined the backers (it would become title sponsor from 1981), and that capital allowed Patrick Head to build the FW07, the car of the first Williams win, at Silverstone in 1979 with Clay Regazzoni.<\/p>\n

In 1980 the FW07B carried Saudia, Leyland and Albilad branding on its bodywork. For anyone working in sponsorship this is the most interesting part of the story: Williams did not wait for the market to come to it, it went to find it where no other team was looking. And when TAG moved to McLaren, funding the Porsche turbo engine, the team had already shown how much a well-built investment could return.<\/p>\n

Alan Jones: the 1980 champion<\/h2>\n

Alan Jones was born in Melbourne in 1946, the son of Stan Jones, winner of the 1959 Australian Grand Prix. He arrived in Formula 1 in 1975, at the Spanish Grand Prix, in a privately entered Hesketh. His first win came in Austria in 1977 with Shadow, the year he finished seventh in the championship. In 1978 Frank Williams hired him as the team’s only driver: he was not seen as a future champion, but he was fast, tough and consistent.<\/p>\n

In 1979 he won four races and finished third. In 1980, with the FW07B powered by the Cosworth DFV, he won in Argentina, France, Britain, Canada and the United States at Watkins Glen, and took the title by 13 points from Nelson Piquet. His teammate Carlos Reutemann won at Monaco and Williams also took the constructors’ championship.<\/p>\n

In 1981 Jones won again, including the final race in Las Vegas, then retired. He came back for one race with Arrows in 1983 and for two seasons with Haas Lola in 1985 and 1986, without winning again. His record: 116 starts, 12 wins, 6 pole positions. After racing he spent years as a Formula 1 commentator on Australian television and ran Australia’s team in A1 Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

\"Alan<\/p>\n

Alan Jones in the Williams FW07 at Monaco in 1979. Photo: Martin Lee, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.<\/em><\/p>\n

Keke Rosberg: the 1982 champion with a single win<\/h2>\n

Keke Rosberg was born in Solna, Sweden, in 1948, and grew up in Finland. He made his Formula 1 debut in 1978 in South Africa with Theodore and, in his second race, won the BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone, an event that did not count for the championship. Difficult seasons followed: with Fittipaldi he scored his first podium in Argentina in 1980, and in 1981 he did not score a single point.<\/p>\n

In 1982 Williams needed a replacement for Jones and chose him. It was one of the most chaotic seasons in Formula 1 history: eleven different winners in sixteen races, ever more powerful Ferrari and Renault turbo engines, and the political war between FISA and FOCA. Rosberg won only one race, the Swiss Grand Prix at Dijon, but scored points almost everywhere. He closed the season with fifth place in Las Vegas, in the Caesars Palace car park, and won the title with 44 points, five more than Didier Pironi. A single win in the season: only Mike Hawthorn had done that before, in 1958.<\/p>\n

With Williams he would win again at Monaco in 1983, in Dallas in 1984, and in Detroit and Adelaide in 1985. He ended his career with McLaren in 1986: 114 starts, 5 wins, 5 poles. After retiring he managed drivers, including JJ Lehto and Mika H\u00e4kkinen, founded Team Rosberg and guided his son Nico all the way to the 2016 world title.<\/p>\n

\"Keke<\/p>\n

Keke Rosberg in the Williams FW08 ahead of Ren\u00e9 Arnoux at the 1982 British Grand Prix. Photo: Martin Lee, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.<\/em><\/p>\n

Two different drivers, the same lesson<\/h2>\n

Jones was aggressive, blunt, hardly diplomatic, and he won by attacking. Rosberg was cooler and more calculating, able to collect points even when his car was not the best. The first won with the benchmark car of 1980, the second with a normally aspirated Cosworth against the turbos, relying on consistency. Two different routes, the same result.<\/p>\n

The common thread is the team. Frank Williams and Patrick Head did not have the budget of Ferrari or the big manufacturers, but they had a well-designed car, a solid sponsor and drivers chosen for what they could do, not for their name. In my view this is the most relevant part of the story today: even now, in the era of the Formula 1 budget cap<\/a>, the difference is made by how you spend, not just how much.<\/p>\n

What remains today of the Williams of Jones and Rosberg<\/h2>\n

Frank Williams died in 2021, and since 2020 the team has been owned by the investment firm Dorilton Capital. In 2026 it races as Atlassian Williams F1 Team, with James Vowles as team principal, Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz at the wheel and Mercedes engines. The name on the car has changed, the logic has not: a title sponsor linking its brand to a historic team, with a revival story to tell.<\/p>\n

For a company looking at Formula 1, the lesson of 1980 still holds. Sporting results help, but the value of a sponsorship comes from how it is built: the right market, the right team, a credible story. That is what we explain on our Formula 1 sponsorship<\/a> page. Saudia and TAG understood it forty-six years ago. It still works that way.<\/p>\n

\r\n\r\n

Frequently asked questions about Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg and Williams<\/b><\/h2>\r\n \r\n
\n
\r\n\r\n

\r\n When did Alan Jones win the world championship?<\/b>\r\n <\/h3>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

Alan Jones won the Formula 1 world championship in 1980 with the Williams FW07B, winning five championship Grands Prix (Argentina, France, Britain, Canada and the United States) and finishing 13 points ahead of Nelson Piquet. It was Williams’ first drivers’ title.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\n

\r\n\r\n

\r\n How many races did Keke Rosberg win in 1982?<\/b>\r\n <\/h3>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

Just one, the Swiss Grand Prix at Dijon. Rosberg won the title with 44 points, five more than Didier Pironi, thanks to consistency: before him only Mike Hawthorn, in 1958, had become champion with a single win in the season.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\n

\r\n\r\n

\r\n How many titles has Williams won in Formula 1?<\/b>\r\n <\/h3>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

Williams has won seven drivers’ titles (Jones, Rosberg, Piquet, Mansell, Prost, Hill and Villeneuve) and nine constructors’ titles, between 1980 and 1997. It is the third most successful team in the constructors’ standings after Ferrari and McLaren.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\n

\r\n\r\n

\r\n Who sponsored Williams in Alan Jones' era?<\/b>\r\n <\/h3>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

From 1978 Williams raced with the backing of Saudia, the Saudi airline, Albilad and the Dallah group. From 1979 TAG, owned by the Ojjeh family, joined the backers and became title sponsor from 1981, and in 1980 the car carried Saudia, Leyland and Albilad branding.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\n

\r\n\r\n

\r\n How are Keke Rosberg and Nico Rosberg related?<\/b>\r\n <\/h3>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

Nico Rosberg is Keke’s son. He won the Formula 1 world championship in 2016 with Mercedes, 34 years after his father’s title with Williams. Keke followed him as his manager during his career.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\n

\r\n\r\n

\r\n Who runs Williams today?<\/b>\r\n <\/h3>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

In 2026 the team races as Atlassian Williams F1 Team, has been owned by Dorilton Capital since 2020, has James Vowles as team principal, Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz as drivers, and uses Mercedes engines.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The usual story is that Williams became great with Honda and Renault engines, with Mansell, Prost, Hill and Villeneuve. That is only partly true. Williams became a winning team earlier, between 1980 and 1982, with two drivers nobody considered destined for greatness, Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg, and with a funding model we would now […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":159584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20123],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-241602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-formula-1-en"],"acf":[],"contentshake_article_id":"","yoast_head":"\nAlan Jones and Keke Rosberg: Williams' 1980 and 1982 titles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Alan Jones in 1980 and Keke Rosberg in 1982: Williams' first two drivers' titles, the Saudi sponsors that made them possible and what they teach today.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg: the two champions who built Williams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Alan Jones in 1980 and Keke Rosberg in 1982: Williams' first two drivers' titles, the Saudi sponsors that made them possible and what they teach today.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"RTR Sports\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RTRSportsMarketing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rosberg.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"869\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"580\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Riccardo Taf\u00e0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@rtrsports\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@rtrsports\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Riccardo Taf\u00e0\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/blog\\\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/blog\\\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Riccardo Taf\u00e0\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7ca2648b3d857cbfff8c499aaed0420e\"},\"headline\":\"Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg: the two champions who built Williams\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-03T11:13:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-08T11:09:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/blog\\\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1338,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/blog\\\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/rosberg.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Formula 1\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/blog\\\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/blog\\\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/blog\\\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\\\/\",\"name\":\"Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg: Williams' 1980 and 1982 titles\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/blog\\\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/blog\\\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/rosberg.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-03T11:13:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-08T11:09:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"Alan Jones in 1980 and Keke Rosberg in 1982: Williams' first two drivers' titles, the Saudi sponsors that made them possible and what they teach today.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/blog\\\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/blog\\\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/blog\\\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/rosberg.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/rosberg.jpeg\",\"width\":869,\"height\":580,\"caption\":\"Alan Jones Keke Rosberg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/blog\\\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg: the two champions who built Williams\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"RTR Sports Marketing\",\"description\":\"RTR Sports Marketing is a global motorsport sponsorship agency and consultancy, specialized in Formula 1 and MotoGP, and active across all major international racing series including Formula E, NASCAR, WEC, WRC and Dakar, helping brands build data-driven, high-performance sponsorship programs.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"RTR Sports\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"RTR Sports Marketing\",\"alternateName\":\"RTR sports\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/rtrsports-anniversary-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/rtrsports-anniversary-1.jpg\",\"width\":946,\"height\":260,\"caption\":\"RTR Sports Marketing\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/RTRSportsMarketing\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/rtrsports\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/rtr-sports-marketing\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wikidata.org\\\/wiki\\\/Q7797317\"],\"description\":\"RTR Sports Marketing is a global motorsport sponsorship agency and consultancy, specialized in Formula 1 and MotoGP, and active across all major international racing series including Formula E, NASCAR, WEC, WRC and Dakar, helping brands build data-driven, high-performance sponsorship programs.\",\"email\":\"info@rtrsports.com\",\"legalName\":\"RTR Sports Marketing LTD\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"1\",\"maxValue\":\"10\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7ca2648b3d857cbfff8c499aaed0420e\",\"name\":\"Riccardo Taf\u00e0\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0e03f35d1883656b70508e45dddcbdf581004a3a428fe432d9559b9bbffe803c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0e03f35d1883656b70508e45dddcbdf581004a3a428fe432d9559b9bbffe803c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0e03f35d1883656b70508e45dddcbdf581004a3a428fe432d9559b9bbffe803c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Riccardo Taf\u00e0\"},\"description\":\"Riccardo Taf\u00e0 is the founder and Managing Director of RTR Sports Marketing, the independent motorsport sponsorship agency he established in 1995. A law graduate of the University of Bologna, he began his career in PR in London before moving into motorsport, and has spent more than 30 years structuring sponsorship partnerships in Formula 1 and MotoGP - closing over 100 deals across eight championships with properties including McLaren, Williams, Ducati, Honda HRC, Yamaha Factory Racing and Dorna Sports. He writes on sponsorship strategy, commercial rights, pricing, and ROI measurement for brands entering motorsport at every budget level.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/uk.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/riccardotafa\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rtrsports.com\\\/en\\\/author\\\/riccardo\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg: Williams' 1980 and 1982 titles","description":"Alan Jones in 1980 and Keke Rosberg in 1982: Williams' first two drivers' titles, the Saudi sponsors that made them possible and what they teach today.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg: the two champions who built Williams","og_description":"Alan Jones in 1980 and Keke Rosberg in 1982: Williams' first two drivers' titles, the Saudi sponsors that made them possible and what they teach today.","og_url":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/","og_site_name":"RTR Sports","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RTRSportsMarketing\/","og_image":[{"width":869,"height":580,"url":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rosberg.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Riccardo Taf\u00e0","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@rtrsports","twitter_site":"@rtrsports","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Riccardo Taf\u00e0","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/"},"author":{"name":"Riccardo Taf\u00e0","@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/7ca2648b3d857cbfff8c499aaed0420e"},"headline":"Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg: the two champions who built Williams","datePublished":"2023-10-03T11:13:11+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-08T11:09:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/"},"wordCount":1338,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rosberg.jpeg","articleSection":["Formula 1"],"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/","url":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/","name":"Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg: Williams' 1980 and 1982 titles","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rosberg.jpeg","datePublished":"2023-10-03T11:13:11+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-08T11:09:24+00:00","description":"Alan Jones in 1980 and Keke Rosberg in 1982: Williams' first two drivers' titles, the Saudi sponsors that made them possible and what they teach today.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rosberg.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rosberg.jpeg","width":869,"height":580,"caption":"Alan Jones Keke Rosberg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-williams-winners-alan-jones-and-keke-rosberg-conquer-f1\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg: the two champions who built Williams"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/","name":"RTR Sports Marketing","description":"RTR Sports Marketing is a global motorsport sponsorship agency and consultancy, specialized in Formula 1 and MotoGP, and active across all major international racing series including Formula E, NASCAR, WEC, WRC and Dakar, helping brands build data-driven, high-performance sponsorship programs.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/#organization"},"alternateName":"RTR Sports","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/#organization","name":"RTR Sports Marketing","alternateName":"RTR sports","url":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/rtrsports-anniversary-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/rtrsports-anniversary-1.jpg","width":946,"height":260,"caption":"RTR Sports Marketing"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RTRSportsMarketing\/","https:\/\/x.com\/rtrsports","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/rtr-sports-marketing\/","https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q7797317"],"description":"RTR Sports Marketing is a global motorsport sponsorship agency and consultancy, specialized in Formula 1 and MotoGP, and active across all major international racing series including Formula E, NASCAR, WEC, WRC and Dakar, helping brands build data-driven, high-performance sponsorship programs.","email":"info@rtrsports.com","legalName":"RTR Sports Marketing LTD","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"1","maxValue":"10"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/7ca2648b3d857cbfff8c499aaed0420e","name":"Riccardo Taf\u00e0","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0e03f35d1883656b70508e45dddcbdf581004a3a428fe432d9559b9bbffe803c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0e03f35d1883656b70508e45dddcbdf581004a3a428fe432d9559b9bbffe803c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0e03f35d1883656b70508e45dddcbdf581004a3a428fe432d9559b9bbffe803c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Riccardo Taf\u00e0"},"description":"Riccardo Taf\u00e0 is the founder and Managing Director of RTR Sports Marketing, the independent motorsport sponsorship agency he established in 1995. A law graduate of the University of Bologna, he began his career in PR in London before moving into motorsport, and has spent more than 30 years structuring sponsorship partnerships in Formula 1 and MotoGP - closing over 100 deals across eight championships with properties including McLaren, Williams, Ducati, Honda HRC, Yamaha Factory Racing and Dorna Sports. He writes on sponsorship strategy, commercial rights, pricing, and ROI measurement for brands entering motorsport at every budget level.","sameAs":["https:\/\/rtrsports.com","https:\/\/uk.linkedin.com\/in\/riccardotafa"],"url":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/author\/riccardo\/"}]}},"permalink_manager":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241602"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":358915,"href":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241602\/revisions\/358915"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}