Oliver Oakes might not have to wait long to return to Formula 1 after resigning as the team principal of Alpine, with claims of a Red Bull ‘offer’ to replace Christian Horner.
It has been a week of changes in Enstone with Oakes resigning as Alpine’s team principal on Tuesday before executive adviser Flavio Briatore ditched Jack Doohan for Franco Colapinto. Briatore is now the head honcho at Alpine, too, having also taken over the duties Oakes had.
The Briton’s resignation came as a surprise and triggered claims that Oakes quit Alpine after clashing with Briatore about demoting Doohan for Colapinto. The Australian has returned to a reserve driver role while the Argentine has come in before the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
However, Oakes revealed he left Alpine for ‘personal’ reasons in a statement on Wednesday, which could now prove to be an offer from Red Bull. Doubts have intensified over the future of Red Bull team principal Horner ahead of the 2025 F1 season racing at Imola next time out.
Imola upgrades are ‘decisive’ for Christian Horner’s Red Bull future amid Oliver Oakes interest
That is according to reports by Autosprint, cited by AUTOhebdo, which claim that Horner is facing an uncertain future following Red Bull’s poor start to the year. The Milton Keynes crew are third in the F1 constructors’ standings, but are 141 points from McLaren after six rounds.
READ MORE: Who is former Alpine F1 team principal Oliver Oakes? Everything to know
| Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
| 1 |
McLaren Racing |
246 |
| 2 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
141 |
| 3 |
Red Bull Racing |
105 |
| 4 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
94 |
| 5 |
Williams F1 Team |
37 |
| 6 |
Haas F1 Team |
20 |
| 7 |
Aston Martin F1 Team |
14 |
| 8 |
Racing Bulls |
8 |
| 9 |
Alpine F1 Team |
7 |
| 10 |
Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber |
6 |
Red Bull intend to take upgrades to Imola to try and bring the RB21 closer to the MCL39 and also Mercedes’ W16. Their new parts will also be ‘decisive’ for Horner’s future at Red Bull as majority shareholder Chaleo Yoovidhya, his key advocate, has now lost support in the Briton.
Yoovidhya’s support kept Horner in charge last year amid a power struggle with 49% owner Mark Mateschitz, heir to the late Dietrich Mateschitz. But Red Bull’s declining performances have put Horner at risk, so Oakes will also get ‘significant support’ if the Imola upgrades fail.
Red Bull GmbH’s owners Yoovidhya and Mateschitz will decide Horner’s future after 20 years as the team principal of its Formula 1 team following the Emilia Romagna GP. It is also not in Horner’s favour that Red Bull are enduring ‘difficulties’ with their 2026 F1 regulation engine.
Christian Danner thinks Red Bull have made Oliver Oakes an ‘offer’ to replace Christian Horner
Oakes, then, may earn a quick route back into the world of being a Formula 1 team principal after resigning from his role at Alpine if Red Bull sack Horner after the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola. The pair became the youngest team principals in F1 history when they took the roles.
READ MORE: Know all about Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with net worth to wife
Christian Danner even thinks Red Bull have already made Oakes an ‘offer’ to replace Horner, hence the 37-year-old’s decision to leave Alpine for personal reasons. The Briton leaving the Enstone outfit with immediate effect might clear the way for him to get his compatriot’s job.
“It’s possible that he has another offer for a better job, namely at Red Bull,” Danner has told sport.de. “That’s a very realistic possibility.”
