Oakes resigns from Alpine with immediate effect, Briatore takes over
Former Alpine team boss Oliver Oakes in a press conference.
Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes has resigned from the Formula 1 outfit, effective immediately.
Flavio Briatore will be handling the duties previously assigned to Oakes.
Oliver Oakes resigns from Alpine, Flavio Briatore steps up
Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes has resigned from his role at the helm of the team, with immediate effect.
The decision comes following a challenging Miami Grand Prix that saw driver Jack Doohan retire from the event on the first lap and Pierre Gasly finish outside of the points.
The team issued a brief statement that read, “BWT Alpine Formula One announces that Oliver Oakes has resigned from his role a Team Principal.
“The team has accepted the resignation with immediate effect.
“As of today, Flavio Briatore will continue as Executive Advisor and will also be covering the duties previously performed by Oliver Oakes.
“The team would like to thank Oliver for his efforts since he joined last summer and for his contribution in helping the team secure sixth place in the 2025 Constructors’ Championship.
“The team will not be making any further comment.”
More on Oliver Oakes at Alpine:
👉 Exclusive: Why Alpine? Why now? Oli Oakes explains his big jump to F1
👉 The tough ‘write off’ decision facing Alpine in ‘unacceptable’ scenario
Oliver Oakes joined Alpine less than a year ago, taking over from Bruno Famin as head of the Enstone-based outfit.
Oakes, the former boss of Hitech GP’s Formula 2 and Formula 3 teams, had been a key player in the outfit’s petition to join Formula 1 when the FIA opened expressions of interest in 2023.
His sudden departure has left the racing world with more questions than answers.
It is understood by PlanetF1.com that a decision has been made to replace Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto from Imola onward, which has been communicated internally to the team.
It is unclear if Oakes’ resignation is at all related to the driver swap, though Oakes has been a public supporter of Doohan during the driver’s F1 campaign.
Flavio Briatore has been a longtime member of the Enstone-based outfit, serving as team principal of Benetton and Renault. Under his guidance, the team secured three World Constructors’ Championships and four World Drivers’ Championships, though his role in the 2008 Crashgate scandal saw him ousted from Renault.
He returned to the team, now named Alpine, during the 2024 season as an executive advisor. Now, he will be returning to his leadership role.
Read next: Jack Doohan replacement speculation returns ahead of Imola Grand Prix