Just six races into the 2025 season, Franco Colapinto has replaced Jack Doohan at the Alpine Formula One team. Along with the early-season switch, Alpine also announced that the team principal, Oliver Oakes, has stepped down from his position. With Oakes gone, the controversial figure of Flavio Briatore has been elevated to the role. Alpine is currently ninth in the F1 constructor standings.
Before the news of Doohan’s demotion became public, another shocking move was made at Alpine that left many scratching their heads. On Tuesday, it was announced that team principal Oliver Oakes would resign with immediate effect after joining the team in mid-last season.
Rumors quickly began circulating that Oakes was leaving due to a disagreement with Briatore about the team’s driver pairing. Briatore and Alpine quieted those rumors and said that Oakes was leaving due to personal reasons rather than differing views on the driver lineup.
“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,” Briatore said. “This is completely false and far from the truth… 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.”
Oakes joins Otmar Szafnauer and Bruno Famin as the third Alpine team principal to leave the organization in the last two years. Oakes helped the team finish in sixth place in the 2024 season’s constructor standings, but they remained in ninth place this season at the time of his exit.
“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,” Oakes said in a statement after the news of his departure was announced. “Everyone is in place for 2026 and where this dream deserves to be! I believe in Enstone.”
Briatore then announced that he would take over as Alpine’s team principal going forward, elevating himself to a role in which he has multiple years of experience.
Briatore is one of the most controversial figures in recent Formula One history, highlighted by his involvement in the ‘Crashgate’ saga as Renault’s team managing director in 2008. Due to his involvement in the controversy, which saw a driver intentionally crash to help his teammate, Briatore was given an indefinite ban from the sport. While his indefinite ban was later rescinded, it put a major stain on Briatore’s reputation in the sport, as he remained in the shadows of F1 for nearly 15 years.
Following a long absence from F1, Briatore joined Alpine last season as the team’s executive advisor. He had a strong influence within the team and was a crucial factor in signing and then demoting Doohan and elevating Colapinto to his new role. While he has publicly stated that he had no involvement in Oakes’ leaving the team, questions persist as to whether Briatore’s hard-nosed and deliberate style of management was a major cause.
“I will continue to be more and more involved with the team, together with the strong management we already have in place,” Briatore said in a statement after Oakes announced his departure. “We will work hard on improving our position this season and preparing for 2026.”
Besides the major ‘Crashgate’ controversy in 2008, Briatore has also been at the center of other alleged cheating allegations in the past. One was in 1994, as his team was using an illegal ‘launch control’ technology. The other came in 2007 as his team was found to be spying on other teams and caught with illegal documents and information. Though his career has been doused with controversy, Briatore remains one of the most successful advisors and team principals in recent F1 history. He has overseen three drivers’ championships and four constructors’ championships in his 30+ year career in the sport.
The Alpine Formula One team has been in the news this week for all the wrong reasons. With their early-season driver changes and seeming abandonment by their team principal, it looks to be another difficult year for the French team.
While Doohan’s swapping out for Colapinto isn’t as shocking, Oakes’s leaving on no notice puts into question the team’s future. Accordingly, Briatore elevating himself to the highest position on the team looks almost like a hostile takeover rather than an internal move to benefit the organization.
Alpine has struggled immensely this year and doesn’t look ready for the 2026 regulations. Their one constant, driver Pierre Gasly, has been the only points-scorer for the team in 2025 despite multiple disappointing finishes and crashes. Alpine is currently ninth in the constructors’ standings with just seven points and looks to have a long season ahead of them after a controversial opening to 2025.
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