Alpine team principal Oakes resigns; Briatore takes over

Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes has resigned from his position of team principal effective immediately, the constructor announced Tuesday.

Executive advisor Flavio Briatore will cover Oakes' duties moving forward.

The decision comes on the heels of rumors that Alpine is slated to replace rookie driver Jack Doohan for Franco Colapinto.

Oakes has served as team principal of Alpine for less than a year before his decision to step down. He was given the job in July 2024 and helped guide the French team to a sixth-place finish in the constructors' championship.

Alpine has had numerous team principal changes over the years. Since 2022, the team has had Oakes, Bruno Famin, and Otmar Szafnauer serve in that role.

Briatore was at the helm of Renault's back-to-back world championships in 2005 and 2006 in the team principal role. He resigned from the position in 2009 and was initially given a lifetime ban from the FIA after the Crashgate scandal, which saw former Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. purposely crash to help Fernando Alonso win. However, his ban was later reversed.

Briatore joined Alpine in May 2024.