Oliver Oakes’ joke about his F1 future before the 2025 season has aged horribly after Alpine exit

Oliver Oakes has announced his resignation as Alpine team principal just six races into the 2025 Formula 1 season.

The 37-year-old became the youngest team principal in F1 history when he succeeded Bruno Famin in July 2024. His departure on Tuesday means he was in his post at Alpine for just under 10 months.

Oakes’ resignation comes after a rumoured driver swap at Enstone. F1 Oversteer understands Alpine are set to drop Jack Doohan after the Miami Grand Prix, with Franco Colapinto in line to replace him.

Despite having only started seven Grand Prix in his F1 career, the Aussie is set to lose his seat. Doohan is yet to score in 2025, with numerous accidents hampering him when he had been displaying solid pace in comparison to teammate Pierre Gasly.

The 22-year-old was informed before the Miami GP that he would be replaced. Flavio Briatore – who will assume Oakes’ responsibilities as team principal – has been pushing for Colapinto to step into the car.

Meanwhile, Oakes wanted to keep Doohan, seeing no argument from his performances that justified him being dropped. This apparent friction at Alpine makes his resignation extremely telling, and his joke before the season has now aged horribly.

Oliver Oakes joked he was ‘surviving until Spa’ as Alpine boss – he didn’t even last until Imola

When Oakes took over from Famin last season, he would have been well aware of the situation he was stepping into. Alpine have had instability with team principals, with Briatore being their fourth since 2023.

The Belgian Grand Prix has become something of a bad omen for the Enstone outfit. Famin and his predecessor Otmar Szafnauer famously left Alpine during the 2023 and 2024 races at Spa.

Before the season started, Oakes joked that he was ‘surviving until Spa’ as he was asked to describe the 2025 season in three words.

While this was meant as a light-hearted joke, in hindsight, it may have suggested he was facing pressure at Alpine. Doohan’s situation appeared to be the nail in the coffin, as the 37-year-old tried, and seemed to have failed, to keep the Aussie at the team.

READ MORE: Who is Alpine F1 team principal Oliver Oakes? Everything to know

Flavio Briatore’s appointment as team principal all but confirms Jack Doohan’s exit from Alpine

Briatore will return to a team principal role for the first time since he was banned from F1 in the wake of the Crashgate scandal. His appointment all but confirms Doohan will be out of his seat before the next race at Imola.

Briatore has been applying pressure on the Aussie to perform, with mistakes being common as a result. Doohan was furious with Alpine over his Japan crash, as he was made to take the fall for the incident after the team offered little support.

The 22-year-old seemed to be doomed from the start, with Colapinto all but lined up for the future with a long-term contract. The Argentine is the favourite to race in Imola, although Alpine are considering Paul Aron as a possible option.

Alpine are set to keep Doohan in their setup in some capacity, rather than let him go entirely. However, it likely spells the end of his racing career with the Enstone outfit – Cadillac could offer ‘refuge’ for Doohan and a second chance to perform in F1.