Piastri's penalty drops him out of the Mexico GP points

Oscar Piastri has paid a heartfelt tribute to Alan Jones, the 1980 Formula 1 world champion who died last Thursday at age 80 after a short illness.

The McLaren driver called Jones 'a guy that had a lot of success on the race track and Australia's most recent world champion.'

'Obviously a very sad day,' Piastri told F1 TV ahead of this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil.

'I think a life that should be very well celebrated.'

Piastri, 24, said Jones deserved to be remembered as much for his personality as for his achievements on the track.

'But I think also the person he was, a very, very straightforward person,' Piastri said.

'Straight to the point.'

The Australian recalled the encouragement Jones had given him throughout his career.

'On a personal level as well he often had nice things to say about me, which was nice,' Piastri added.

He also spoke about the opportunity to drive the Williams FW07 that carried Jones to the world championship.

'I've had the honour to drive his world championship-winning car as well,' Piastri said.

'So very cool to be able to experience that and connect with him in some kind of way.'

Jones had been a vocal supporter of Piastri, expressing confidence earlier this year that the 24-year-old had the ability and temperament to become Australia's next world champion.

That was despite Piastri missing out on the 2025 title to McLaren teammate Lando Norris.

'He's just an extremely talented bloke, as in talented like you don't see all that often,' Jones told the Sydney Morning Herald ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

'He's got the attributes, the mind and whatever else it takes to become a world champion.'

Jones added: 'He wears his emotions less on his sleeve than some of the others, and that's a quality you need.'

Williams, the team Jones won his title with, also released a statement mourning his loss.

'We are deeply saddened by the passing of Alan Jones,' the team said.

'A true Williams legend, Alan formed an extraordinary bond with Frank Williams and Patrick Head and made history by winning our first Drivers' World Championship in 1980.'

'He set the standard for Williams champions: a fast, uncompromising racer with a challenger mentality who loved motor racing and dedicated his life to it.'

Claire Williams, Frank Williams' daughter and the team's former deputy principal, added her voice.

'Alan is a hugely important part of Williams and F1's history,' she said.

'He played a critical role in the team's earliest success, working closely with Dad and Patrick Head to launch Williams into the history books.'

'Alan scored our first podium finish in 1978, and in 1980, brought Williams its first drivers' and constructors' World Championships.'

'Dad was enormously fond of Alan; I think he was one of Dad's favourite drivers of all time.'

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali called Jones 'a true great of our sport and an extraordinary racer.'

'Alan was a formidable competitor, a natural leader and an icon who inspired generations of fans, particularly in his beloved Australia,' Domenicali said.

'Beyond his achievements on track, Alan will be remembered for his character, his passion and the lasting mark he left on Formula 1.'

Piastri now heads into the Sao Paulo Grand Prix looking to end a difficult run of results.

He has gone 15 races without a podium since Miami, equaling the longest such stretch of his Formula 1 career.

His most recent outing in Mexico City ended in disappointment, with a post-race penalty dropping him from eighth to 15th.

The penalty came after a late collision with Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad at the Turn 1-2 complex.

Piastri accepted the 10-second penalty but suggested the driving standards guidelines might need tweaking for corners like the Mexican opening complex.

'I think looking at the guidelines, it's kind of hard to argue against the penalty,' Piastri said.

'But I think that set of corners in Mexico, that's where the guidelines are very tricky to enforce.'

'Every corner's slightly different, every sequence of corners especially, and yeah it kind of feels like when your only option to avoid an incident is to cut the track, you're not left in a great place.'

'It's a difficult one for sure,' he added.

'I think Arvid was very robust.'

'I think if you look at the guidelines he had the right to [defend], I think also for myself I had the right to try and make that move stick until the point where I tried to back out which is when we collided.'