Damon Hill says ‘this is a joke, right?’ after what he’s just read about Oliver Oakes and Alpine

Oliver Oakes has resigned from his post as Alpine team principal. The announcement came just hours before Franco Colapinto replaced rookie driver Jack Doohan.

It recently emerged that Oakes disagreed with Flavio Briatore over Colapinto. He was inclined to give Doohan more time and had doubts about the Argentine, who scored five points for Williams last year but also racked up a huge damage bill.

Oakes decided to quit when Alpine sources leaked Doohan’s imminent departure following the Miami GP. His tenure had only started in August 2024.

This wasn’t his only grievance. Hitech founder Oakes also disagreed with Esteban Ocon’s enforced exit before last year’s season finale in Abu Dhabi, which facilitated an early debut for Doohan.

As the table above shows, the Englishman was Alpine’s third different team principal since the 2021 rebrand. Briatore will take on those responsibilities until such a point that a suitable successor is found.

Damon Hill thinks F1 account is playing a prank after Oliver Oakes announcement

When the official Formula 1 account broke the news of Oakes’ resignation on Instagram, 1996 world champion Damon Hill wrote on his story: “This is a joke, right?”

And then, when he saw Alpine’s statement confirming the news, he added: “Apparently not!”

On Wednesday morning, Hill reacted to an X post listing the last six team bosses at Enstone.

“My guess is Flav will be the last one,” he wrote.

This is likely a reference to rumours that the Alpine F1 team are for sale. There’s a theory that their pivot to Mercedes power units (rather than an engine built in-house) was designed to make them more attractive to potential buyers.

While Renault retain their majority stake, they sold 24% of the business to Otro Capital in 2023. The investment group includes A-list celebrities like Ryan Reynolds and Michael B. Jordan, as well as a series of high-profile athletes.

Giedo van der Garde says Alpine have damaged their ‘credibility’ after Jack Doohan call

Ted Kravitz saw Doohan looking ‘very upset’ in the Alpine motorhome after the Miami GP last weekend. It seems Oakes was unhappy with the treatment of the 22-year-old driver.

Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle says Doohan deserved until the summer break. A new driver is typically afforded at least half a season before coming under serious pressure.

Writing on Instagram, former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde suggested Alpine had damaged their ‘credibility’ by announcing the driver swap so soon after Oakes left.

“A lot of pressure for Colapinto and a lot of punches to Doohan’s confidence: I’m not sure this is the right path of management for Alpine,” he said. “To prove yourself in five races is difficult, but I think Doohan didn’t do a terrible job so far.

“To also announce this swap in the same week as the announcement of Oakes leaving the team isn’t working well for their credibility.”