Australian Formula 1 legend Alan Jones has revealed in a new autobio🀅graphy that he was paid to feign illness and miss the controversial 1985 South African Grand Prix in order to avoid sparking outrage wi𓆏th a team backer.

The 1985 race at Kyalami was held in the height of aparthe𒀰id in South Africa during P. W. Botha’s state of emergency, prompting teams such 🐬as Renault and Ligier to withdraw in boycott.

Joඣnes raced for the Haas-Lola team that was partly bankrolled by Beatrice Foods, a large American company that could not be seen to condone apartheid.

, Jones reveals the plan🧔 that was formulated with F1 ringma﷽ster Bernie Ecclestone in order to avoid sparking controversy.

“During the Friday I was summoned to see Bernie Ecc𝓰lestone in his penthouse. Not sure what I had done this time, I fronted up,” Jones wrote.

“As I went in the door Bernie said, ‘How do yo💎u feel?’ Standard greeting, although he had a look in his eye, I gave him a standard reply, ‘Pretty ꦺgood, thanks.’

“‘What do you think your 🔯chances are of winning the race 🥂tomorrow?’ he asked.

“Again, I felt no need to be s꧑ubtle: ‘Bernie, I think you know the answer to that question. If I start 🅰now, probably pretty good.’

“‘Well, I’ve got a bit of an idea. If you pꦕull up sick and can’t run again this weekend, we’ll give you first-place prize money. Go home and visit Australia.’

“Beatrice car raced in South Africa he was going to get all of the black workers - thousands of them - at Beatrice around the US to go on strike. Beatrice couldn’t be seen to be backing down to an individual like him, bu🤡♕t if they didn’t back down there was a chance of the strike.

“So Bernie came up with an idea. ‘If the driver falls♐ crook and can’t drive, then the Beatrice car doesn’t race. It’s a force majeure. Jesse Jackson can’t get on his soapbox and say, ‘I forced that company to withdraw,’ and he also couldn’t call a strike because the car didn’t race.’

“The idea was that I would wait until Saturday morning when everyone went to the circui⛄t. I would quietly check out, and jump on a plane to Harare to get home (because Qantas wouldn’t fly to South Africa).

“And so, on the Saturday morning I was gone. I just didn’t turn up. They had the 😼car out ready to go, when they were told, ‘AJ’s been struck down by a virus and we are not racing.’

“I made a miraculous recovery for the Aus💟tralian Grand Prix, which was just as well.”