Jones: Blaming Claire Williams is unfair and easy pickings

But she has support from their former driver Alan Jones who spearheaded the team's rise to the top in the late seventies, claiming the 1981 F1 World Championship and winning 11 of his 12 races under Sir Frank Williams' watch.

Now, 40 years later, the team has been reduced to a perennial backmarker and the laughing stock of the paddock for the past two years.

But Claire is not to blame insisted Jones during an interview with The Guardian, “Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon blaming Claire which is terribly unfair. It is easy pickings for them because she is female which is very, very unfair. She is doing a good job and they will come good.”

When Jones, now 73, joined Williams, in 1978, the team were on the cust of big things as Frank after years of being a backmarker entrant with very little money - teamed up with Patrick Head.. and the rest is history, namely: 16 F1 world titles and 114 Grand Prix victories.

“For Williams, from being no-ones and I mean that, to being a front-running F1 team is an extraordinary feat. I hope to Christ they do come good because that’s my family.”

As for F1 drivers applauding the decision to not run the race in Australia this past weekend, Jones reckoned, “If you are being paid a huge amount of retainer you just think: Well, that’s less work I’ve got to do. Give me the choice of lying on a beach somewhere exotic or hopping in a car…”