Flavio Briatore Addresses Speculations Regarding His Disagreement with Oliver Oakes

In a surprising turn of events, Oliver Oakes, the team principal of Alpine F1, has resigned from his position. This unexpected move comes six races into the 2025 season and coincides with ‘s decision to replace Jack Doohan with reserve driver Franco Colapinto for the next five races. The sudden resignation has sparked speculations about a potential disagreement between Oakes and executive advisor, Flavio Briatore. However, in a joint Instagram post with , Briatore has denied these allegations.

Briatore Denies Disagreements with Oakes

In the joint Instagram post, Briatore stated, “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.” He further clarified, “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.

The Instagram post also included a message attributed to Oakes, expressing gratitude towards the Enstone staff. “It’s been a privilege to lead everyone at Enstone; what a team, what a place,” said the Oakes statement. “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.

Briatore Takes Over Oakes’ Duties

For now, Briatore will be covering Oakes’ duties, supported by Alpine‘s technical leadership that includes experienced hands like tech chief David Sanchez, racing director Dave Greenwood, and sporting director Richard Lockwood. “I will continue to be more and more involved with the team, together with the strong management we already have in place,” Briatore said. “We will work hard on improving our position this season and preparing for 2026.