Alpine Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore dismissed speculation that Oliver Oakes, as the team’s principal, was caused by differences in opinion between the pair.
Alpine announced Tuesday evening that Oaks resigned as team principal after just 10 months, and that the mission was taken over by Briartoll, who oversaw Benetton’s multiple world titles in the 1990s and oversees Renault in the mid-2000s.
The Oaks’ resignation confirmed Wednesday morning that the team had dropped driver Jack Doohan for Franco Colapinto, leading to the logical assumption that the two situations were connected.
However, Briatore issued a statement Wednesday afternoon via his Instagram account, where he maintained a strong relationship with the Oaks, claiming that the 37-year-old’s departure was for “personal” reasons.
“There’s been a lot said in the last 24 hours, and the OLI has misconnected the decision to resign to differences or share a different view. This is completely false and far from the truth,” Briartoll said in a statement posted in collaboration with the official Instagram account of the Alpine team.
“I and Oli had a very good relationship and had long-term ambitions to help this team move forward together.
“We accepted Oli’s request to resign and therefore accepted his resignation.
“The reason is not related to the team, it’s of a personal nature.
“I will continue to be more and more involved with the team, along with the strong management team we already have in place.
“We will improve our position this season and strive to prepare for 2026.”
The post also includes an Oaks’ statement, which confirmed Briartoll’s claim.
“It was a privilege to lead everyone at Enstone. What a team, what a place,” Oaks said.
“It’s a personal decision for me to resign. Flavio was like a father to me and was not supportive as he was supportive and given me the opportunity since I played my role.
“Everyone is in place in 2026 and this dream is a fitting place. I believe in Enstone.”
Oakes founded Hitech Grand Prix in 2015. The UK-based outfit was impressed by the single-seater championships, including Formula 2 and Formula 3.
He took over from Otmar Szafnauer as principal of the Alpine team in August 2024, overseeing the epic double podiums of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Guthrie in Brazil later that year.
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Briartoll is a controversial figure in Formula 1 as it is part of the “Crash Gate” scandal in which driver Nelson Pique intentionally crashed at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, and Renault teammate Fernando Alonso intentionally crashed to help his driver Nelson Pique win the race.
He received a lifetime ban from F1 due to his involvement in the case, but this was overturned by a French court.
The 75-year-old returned to Formula 1 in May 2024 as an executive advisor to Alpine.
Briartoll has been involved in Formula 1 since the early 1990s, enjoying success in the championship with Michael Schumacher in 1994 and 1995, followed by success at Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006.
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