Alpine is experiencing turbulent times in the 2025 Formula 1 season – but what is behind the changes at the French team?
One aspect of the latest developments at Alpine in the 2025 Formula 1 season was entirely expected, the other less so. It had been clear for several days that Franco Colapinto would replace Jack Doohan in the driver lineup, and this had been predicted before the start of the season. The departure of Oliver Oakes, on the other hand, came as a surprise.
Just this weekend, Oakes was busy denying rumors of a last-minute switch from Colapinto to Doohan – now both are no longer part of the team. Was this a coincidence? Probably not.
It is believed that Oakes wanted to create an opportunity for Doohan after Doohan was replaced by Colapinto, while Flavio Briatore was pushing to have Colapinto in the car. Briatore had ultimately signed sponsorship deals with Argentine partners who were very interested in Colapinto, the first Formula 1 driver from Argentina since Gaston Mazzacane.
Power shift at Alpine
It was only a matter of time before Briatore pushed through his decision, which Oakes probably saw as an encroachment on his authority. It seems that Oakes wanted to keep an overview of the races and the team, while Briatore was more responsible for the economic aspects – similar to McLaren, where Zak Brown is responsible for business and marketing strategy and Andrea Stella heads up technical and sporting matters.
In this context, the power structure at Alpine became clear: Briatore made the decisions, while Oakes had to justify them. Briatore himself rejected this interpretation, however, stating on Instagram that the idea of a dispute between him and Oakes was “completely wrong.”
“Oli and I have a very good relationship and long-term plans to move the team forward together. We have accepted his request to step down, and the reasons are personal,” said Briatore. Oakes himself said it was a ‘personal decision’ to step down and praised Briatore as a ‘father figure’ to him.
The uncertain future of Alpine
Perhaps Oakes’ young family also played a role in his decision. The lighter workload of the Formula 2 and Formula 3 calendars compared to the 24 races of a Formula 1 season may have been a decisive factor. Nevertheless, the question remains whether Oakes felt he could not realize his vision for the team amid the changes brought about by Doohan and Colapinto.
Since Renault’s takeover and the team’s return to Enstone, Alpine has gone through turbulent times. Since 2019, the team has had several team principals, with the average tenure of a team principal being around 390 days.
Oakes’ resignation fits in with this pattern that has been evident since Renault took over the team in 2016. What remains now is the question of whether Briatore will take over the reins or whether he will have to find a new team principal who can bring about the necessary changes to the management structure.
The team must decide what it wants to achieve in the long term. From 2026, Alpine will no longer be a manufacturer team, but a Mercedes customer team owned by Renault. Will Alpine be another customer team in Formula 1, or is there a vision that can make the team a serious contender? The team will have to address this question in the coming months.
Oakes’ resignation fits in with the pattern that has been evident since Renault took over the team in 2016. The question now is whether Briatore will take over the reins or whether he will have to find a new team boss who can bring about the necessary changes to the management structure.
The team must decide what it wants to achieve in the long term. From 2026, Alpine will no longer be a manufacturer team, but a Mercedes customer team owned by Renault. Will Alpine be another customer team in Formula 1, or is there a vision that can make the team a serious contender? The team will have to address this question in the coming months.
