Briatore clears tension after Oakes' shock departure from Alpine
Following Oliver Oakes' shock departure from the Alpine team, the Enstone-based outfit's executive advisor Flavio Briatore has denied that he and the Briton were disagreeing over the running of the team.
Having taken over the role from Bruno Famin less than a year ago, Alpine team boss Oliver Oakes has resigned from his role as F1 team principal following last Sunday's Miami Grand Prix.
Oakes joined Alpine as team principal last July, taking over the role previously held by Bruno Famin. The Briton started his new role after the summer break and he directly reported to Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo.
His promotion saw the 36-year-old Briton become the second youngest team principal in Formula 1 history after Christian Horner, who was just 33 years old when he started as team boss at Red Bull in 2005.
Oakes founded Hitech Grand Prix in 2015, which for almost a decade, has been at the forefront of single-seater competition on the world and national stage.
However, Alpine announced two days after the Miami Grand Prix that Oakes has resigned from the squad with immediate effect.
His shock exit was followed by Alpine's decision to swap Jack Doohan with reserve driver Franco Colapinto for the next five races. The driver change fed suggestions that Alpine's executive advisor Flavio Briatore and Oakes disagreed on the move, and that has le to the Briton's decision to leave the team with immediate effect.
However, Briatore has now denied that he and Oakes were disagreeing over the running of the team, claiming that they still have a good relationship.
"A lot has been said in the past 24-hours incorrectly associating the decision of Oli resigning to an alleged disagreement, or that we shared different views. This is completely false and far from the truth.
"Me and Oli have a very good relationship and had long-term ambitions to drive this team forward together. We respect Oli's request to resign and have therefore accepted his resignation. The reasons are not related to the team and are of a personal nature.
"I will continue to be more and more involved with the team, together with the strong management we already have in place. We will work hard on improving our position this season and preparing for 2026," concluded the Italian.
At the same time, Oakes has also commented on his move, suggesting that his decision was personal and not motivated by the hierarch inside the Enstone-based team.
"It's been a privilege to lead everyone at Enstone, what a team, what a place. It is a personal decision for me to step down. Flavio has been like a father to me, nothing but supportive since I took the role, as well as giving me the opportunity.
"Everyone is in place for 2026 and where this dream deserves to be! I believe in Enstone," he concluded.
