Flavio Briatore, executive advisor for the Alpine Formula 1 team, has refuted claims that a disagreement between himself and former team principal Oliver Oakes led to Oakes` recent resignation.
Alpine announced on Tuesday evening that Oakes was stepping down after serving just 10 months in the role. Briatore, who previously guided Benetton and Renault to multiple world championships, has now taken over Oakes` responsibilities.
Oakes` departure on Wednesday morning coincided with confirmation that the team would replace driver Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto for a five-race deal, fueling speculation that the two events were connected.
However, Briatore issued a statement via his Instagram account on Wednesday afternoon, asserting that his relationship with Oakes remains strong and that the 37-year-old`s decision to leave was for “personal” reasons.
“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,” Briatore stated in a post shared jointly with Alpine`s official account.
“Me and Oli have a very good relationship and had long-term ambitions to drive this team forward together. We accept 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.”
Briatore added that he plans to increase his involvement with the team, working alongside the existing management structure to improve their performance this season and prepare for the 2026 regulations.
Oakes also provided a statement within the same Instagram post, corroborating Briatore`s account.
“It`s been a privilege to lead everyone at Enstone, what a team, what a place,” Oakes commented. “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.”
Oliver Oakes founded the successful Hitech Grand Prix motorsport outfit in 2015. A former karting world champion, he took over as Alpine Team Principal from Otmar Szafnauer in August 2024 and was at the helm during the team`s impressive double podium finish in Brazil later that year.
Briatore himself is a notable, though controversial, figure in F1 history. He was involved in the “Crashgate” incident in 2008, which initially resulted in a lifetime ban from the sport, later overturned by a French court. The 75-year-old returned to F1 as Alpine`s executive advisor in May 2024. His extensive career includes championship successes with Michael Schumacher (1994, 1995) and Fernando Alonso (2005, 2006).
