By Tom Cary
Oliver Oakes has resigned as Alpine team principal following an apparent disagreement with the team’s executive adviser Flavio Briatore over the decision to drop driver Jack Doohan.
It is unclear whether other factors contributed, but it seems clear that the call over Doohan – which has yet to be confirmed by the team – was a lightning rod for Oakes’ decision, taken with immediate effect, which came out of the blue on Tuesday evening. Briatore will, at least on a temporary basis, take over team principal duties from Oakes.
Alpine’s Australian driver Jack Doohan.Credit: Getty Images
Oakes had publicly backed Doohan in Miami last weekend, describing speculation in Argentina that Alpine’s reserve Franco Colapinto might replace the Australian for the next race in Imola on May 18 as “just noise”.
Asked to confirm that Doohan would be in the car in Imola, Oakes said: “Yeah, as it is today, Jack is our driver along with Pierre [Gasly]. We’ve been pretty clear on that. We always evaluate, but yeah – today, that is the case.”
Doohan has had a difficult start to his F1 career. The 22-year-old from the Gold Coast has yet to win a point in six races, although he did out-qualify Gasly on merit for the first time in Miami.
It is unclear exactly why Oakes left, but sources suggest that the Englishman, a former driver himself who won the 2005 karting world title and became the second-youngest team principal in F1 history when he was appointed last year, felt undermined.
Doohan with team advisor Flavio Briatore in Miami last weekendCredit: AP
Briatore is a colourful and controversial character who divides opinion in the F1 paddock. The Italian, 75, was convicted of multiple counts of fraud in the 1980s, receiving two prison sentences. He played a key role in Michael Schumacher’s rise and first two world titles at Benetton in 1994 and 1995, albeit the team had to fight off cheating allegations.
Briatore – who has had relationships with a string of models including Naomi Campbell and Heidi Klum – received a lifetime ban from Formula 1 for his role in the “Crashgate” scandal, in which his driver, Nelson Piquet jnr, intentionally crashed at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to help Renault teammate Fernando Alonso win the race. A French court subsequently overturned the ban.
Briatore returned to Alpine last May as executive adviser. Oakes, Alpine’s fourth team principal in less than four years, was appointed a couple of months later, in August, but did not last a year.
An Alpine team statement read: “BWT Alpine Formula 1 Team announces that Oliver Oakes has resigned from his role as team principal. The team has accepted his resignation with immediate effect.
“As of today, Flavio Briatore will continue as executive adviser 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 2024 constructors’ championship.
“The team will not be making any further comment.”
Telegraph, London
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