Alpine, the team that’s always been solidly midfield. Never really winning, never truly losing. They’re the team nobody loves, but nobody really hates either. Because of that, they’ve managed to fly under the radar of the F1 gossip mill despite the instability and drama that’s plagued them in recent years.
But now, with Alpine sitting 10th in the Constructors’ Championship and the sudden resignation of team principal Oliver Oakes just 24 hours before the announcement that Jack Doohan would be replaced by Franco Colapinto, they’ve suddenly become the talk of the F1 world. Let’s break it down.
On May 6th, 2025, Oliver Oakes resigned as Alpine’s team principal after just 10 months in the role. The next day, news broke that Franco Colapinto would be replacing Jack Doohan for the next five races. In Formula 1, 24 hours might as well be a second. Two major announcements that close together can’t be a coincidence.
On one hand, it’s possible Oakes resigned because he didn’t agree with the driver change. But that doesn’t really add up. This kind of decision would’ve been in discussion for months. Colapinto had been in the reserve seat from the start of the season, and if Oakes was unhappy with the plan, he wouldn’t have signed Colapinto or given Doohan just a six-race contract in the first place.
On the other hand, the timing of the driver swap might have been a distraction, a way to shift attention away from the real reason behind Oakes’ sudden departure. But what exactly would they want to distract us from?
Just a few days before the announcement, Oliver Oakes’ brother, William Oakes, was arrested for “transferring criminal property and possessing a large amount of cash.” Why does this matter?
Because Oliver Oakes owns Hitech GP, a team in junior single-seater racing, and William has been its director since 2015. Here’s where things get even murkier: the Mazepin connection.
Dmitry Mazepin, a Russian oligarch (and father of ex-F1 driver Nikita Mazepin), had to cease business operations in the UK due to sanctions during the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. Up until then, the Mazepins owned the controlling stake in Hitech GP, which they then sold to Oliver Oakes in March 2022.
Now, Oliver is rumoured to be in Dubai, and there are allegations that Hitech GP had deeper ties to the Mazepins than previously known, possibly serving as a front for continued business dealings despite the ban. This could explain William Oakes’ arrest and Oliver’s rapid resignation from Alpine.
Oakes may be the latest to leave Alpine, but he’s certainly not the first. In fact, he’s the sixth team principal the team has had in just five years. From Cyril Abiteboul to Marcin Budkowski, Otmar Szafnauer, Bruno Famin, Oliver Oakes, and now (acting) Flavio Briatore.
To put that in perspective:
- Christian Horner has been at Red Bull for 20 years.
- Toto Wolff has led Mercedes for 12 years.
- Ferrari has only had 3 team principals in the past 30 years.
Frequent leadership changes create instability, and that instability is clearly showing in Alpine’s current performance. Right now, they’re 10th in the Constructors’ standings, and their drivers are 14th, 20th, and 21st in the Drivers’ Championship.
Like I said at the beginning: Alpine are a midfield team, not backmarkers. But with this level of internal chaos, they can’t progress the way other teams have. Even Kick Sauber are sitting in 8th.
Now, let’s talk about the man at the centre of the new controversy: Flavio Briatore.
One of the most controversial figures in F1 history, Briatore was team principal at Renault from 2008 to 2009, until he was forced out and handed a lifetime ban for his role in the infamous Crashgate scandal. (In case you need a refresher: he was behind the decision to have Nelson Piquet Jr. crash deliberately to help Fernando Alonso win.)
Sixteen years later, that lifetime ban was overturned by a French court. Briatore returned to F1 last season as an advisor for Alpine, helping with scouting, driver market strategy, and team structure. And now, following Oakes’ exit, he’s stepped in as acting team principal.
I have my own thoughts on Briatore, as do many in the F1 community. But like it or not, he’s here, and possibly here to stay. So the only question left is: how long will the “acting” part of his title last?
I won’t keep you any longer, but stay tuned for Part 2 coming next week.
See you trackside!
Trackside Talk 