Former Formula 1 team boss Oliver Oakes is understood to have travelled to Dubai as a result of ongoing developments involving his brother and the Hitech team.

Oakes parted ways from Formula 1 in the aftermath of the Miami Grand Prix. His brother, William Oakes, was recently arrested and charged with ‘transferring criminal property’, whilst it is also understood Hitech’s cars were impounded upon return from the Middle East.

Oliver Oakes believed to be in Dubai

Former Formula 1 team principal Oliver Oakes is understood to have flown to Dubai amid these ongoing developments.

Oakes previously served as the head of Alpine as well as Hitech GP, a team in junior European single-seater racing.

In the aftermath of the Miami Grand Prix, Oakes resigned from his role as Alpine team principal with immediate effect, citing personal matters. Flavio Briatore, who had previously rejoined Alpine as an advisor, will be assuming the lead of the team.

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According to PlanetF1.com sources familiar with the matter, as well as The Telegraph, Oakes’ brother was arrested with ‘a large amount of cash’.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “William Oakes, 31, of Rugby was charged with transferring criminal property on Friday, May 2 after he was stopped in the Silverstone Park area in Northamptonshire on Thursday, May 1, 2025 in possession of a large amount of cash. He appeared before Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, May 3, and remanded in custody.”

The Oakes family ties with Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin have been under scrutiny in response to this news.

Mazepin, for example, previously owned a 75 percent stake in Hitech — a team with which Oakes had significant ties. Oakes took over full ownership of the outfit just nine days before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, then formed a new company after Mazepin and his son Nikita were sanctioned by the UK government and European Union.

Most recently, Mazepin paid a “personal” visit to Oliver Oakes during Bahrain testing ahead of the F1 2025 season.

The reaction after Oliver Oakes’ resignation

The leading theory that emerged after Oakes’ resignation was a potential disagreement between him and the Alpine team over the demotion of Jack Doohan in favour of Franco Colapinto. However, new team boss Flavio Briatore said that wasn’t the case.

“A lot has been said in the past 24 hours incorrectly associating the decision of Oli resigning to an alleged disagreement or that we shared different views,” Briatore wrote on social media.

“This is completely false and far from the truth. Me and Oli have a very good relationship and had long-term ambitions to drive this team forward together.

“We respect Oli’s request to resign and have therefore accepted his resignation. The reasons are not related to the team and are of a personal nature.

“I will continue to be more and more involved with the team, together with the strong management we already have in place. We will work hard on improving our position this season and preparing for 2026.”

Oakes responded to Briatore’s post, writing,

It’s been a privilege to lead everyone at Enstone, what a team, what a place. It is a personal decision for me to step down.

“Flavio has been like a father to me, nothing but supportive since I took the role, as well as giving me the opportunity. Everyone is in place for 2026 and where this dream deserves to be!

“I believe in Enstone.”

Read next: What’s going on at Alpine? Here’s everything you need to know