F1 Champs: Aussie Organizers Are Pathetic

The Australian Grand Prix organizers received a quite negative review from the country's former F1 champion Alan Jones. Talking to Australian newspaper The Herald Sun, Jones slammed his Aussie compatriots for not providing him with an invitation to this year's event. Instead, he got one via the F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

“I write to Bernie Ecclestone and get a ticket issued from Britain. It seems he is more inclined to do things for you than home-grown folk,” said Jones in the aforementioned interview, as reported by GMM news agency.

Jones is apparently not the only ex-champion of Formula 1 to be overlooked by the Australian Grand Prix Corporation when giving the invitations. The other Australian driver who marked the F1 history books in the late '50s (triple world champion) Jack Brabham was invited to the event only after a PR company working with his son David approached the AGPC, as shown in the GMM report.

In response, Brabham decided to turn down the AGPC invitation, a gesture to which Jones totally related.

“He is an icon and a national treasure, and to overlook him in that fashion is pathetic,” added the current seat holder of A1 Team Australia in the A1 GP World Cup of Motorsport. He also blamed the Aussie organizers for leaving the 50th anniversary of an Australian driver (Brabham) winning the F1 championship unmarked by a special event.

Ron Walker's response to these accusations was brief and blunt. “I am not going to respond to Alan Jones' gripes about the grand prix,” argued the AGPC chairman.