Alpine Team Principal Resigns Amid Leadership Changes

Oliver Oaks, who recently took the helm of the Alpine team, has stepped down, bringing Italian Flavio Briatore back into the spotlight. Briatore, you might recall, was banned for life by Formula One due to his involvement in a major scandal.

Oaks, only 37 and in his role for about nine months, resigns just as Alpine is set to replace driver Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto ahead of the upcoming race in Imola. The team confirmed this change would take effect immediately, which is, well, quite a shift.

Briatore, who served as the executive director and now absorbs Oaks’ responsibilities, essentially takes over the principal role. It’s worth noting that at 75, Briatore has a controversial history, particularly from the 2008 “Crashgate” scandal during the Singapore Grand Prix, where a Renault driver was asked to deliberately crash to benefit a teammate.

While he and fellow team members denied the accusations, Renault faced consequences during the 2009 FIA hearing. Ultimately, Briatore received a lifetime ban but managed to get that overturned a year later in a French court.

Interestingly, despite declaring he wouldn’t return to Formula One, Briatore found himself persuaded to rejoin by Renault’s CEO, Luca de Meo, in 2024. This decision raised eyebrows, considering the negative light that “Crashgate” cast on the sport.

Moreover, Alpine has seen a lot of turnover in 2023, following the unexpected departure of Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer. They’ve also seen exits from key positions, like Chief Technical Officer Pat Free, and others. Bruno Famin initially stepped in for Szafnauer before Oaks took over.

The Enstone-based team, associated with Benetton and Renault, has struggled to break free from the midfield pack for over ten years, albeit with four world championships to their name. Recently, they decided to stop producing their own power units and will instead source engines from Mercedes starting in 2026.