Oliver Oakes became the latest in a revolving door of team principals at Alpine when he announced his shock resignation from the Enstone outfit this week.
Alpine put out a statement just hours before they confirmed Franco Colapinto would be replacing Jack Doohan for the next five races, stating that Oakes has resigned from his position “with immediate effect” and that it would be taken up by Flavio Briatore.
Briatore joined Alpine as Executive Advisor midway through the 2024 season, and Oakes reportedly disagreed on some of the ‘brutal’ decisions he made, including ousting Esteban Ocon early.
In a statement released on social media, Oakes has responded to rumours and revealed the real reason behind his stepping back, having only been in the job since August 2024.
Oliver Oakes reveals ‘personal decision’ behind shock Alpine exit
Oakes is the sixth team principal to leave Alpine after taking over from Bruno Famin, and the sackings of Otmar Szafnauer, Laurent Rossi, Marcin Budkowski, and Cyril Abiteboul.
In a statement posted to Briatore’s Instagram feed, Oakes revealed the real reason behind his decision to step down after just nine months in the post.
“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,” said Oakes.
“Everyone is in place for 2026 and where this dream deserves to be! I believe in Enstone.”
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Flavio Briatore dismisses ‘false’ narrative around Oliver Oakes exit
The timing of the announcement suggested that Oakes disagreed with Briatore on the decision to axe Doohan in favour of Colapinto, who Alpine signed earlier this year as their reserve driver.
It was Briatore who brought in Colapinto after being impressed with his stint at Williams, but the Italian businessman has dismissed any suggestion of a rift between himself and Oakes.
“A lot has been said in the past 24 hours, incorrectly associating the decision of Oli resigning to an alleged disagreement, or that we share different views. This is completely false and far from the truth,” said Briatore.
“Me and Oli have a very good relationship and had long-term ambitions to drive this team forward. 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.”
Briatore will continue in his role as executive advisor alongside his duties as team principal.
