“[BMW] are knocking on the door. At the end of the day you really can't dismiss a company like
BMW or Mercedes. They're giants, they have built the odd racing engine over the years and I think if anyone's capable of doing it BMW are.”
The 61-year-old – who clinched the drivers' laurels back in 1980, and is the last of his countrymen ever to triumph in the top flight – also suggested Australia's days as a fixture on the
F1 calendar are numbered, regardless of whether the grand prix is held in Melbourne, Sydney or elsewhere. He did, however, have words of encouragement for habitually luckless compatriot
Mark Webber and old team Williams, though he was less willing to commit himself on whether
Renault have really turned a corner in their season on the basis of the
Régie's Barcelona performance.
“They took a big step, didn't they?” Jones mused. “From being relatively uncompetitive to being up there on the front row is a big step. I don't know whether it was just a matter of circumstances for that one particular meeting – it will be interesting to see how they go in Turkey.
“I think he [Webber] has proven that if he's in a reliable car he's capable of doing the job. He's had an enormous amount of bad luck and unreliability, but I think
Red Bull are probably now making inroads in that area and I think Mark will take advantage of that.
“I never underestimate
Williams. I know the people, I know the facilities and I know their capabilities. Yes, they have been off the pace of late and have had a quiet time over the last couple of years, but they're just too good to discount. They will bounce back.”
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