First, it was Otmar Szafnauer and then, it was Bruno Famin. Alpine has a hard time holding on to its leaders with two team principals walking away within two consecutive years. Right before the Belgian GP in 2023, Szafnauer had announced he would exit the Enstone/Viry outfit. Exactly a year later, Bruno Famin claimed he wanted to focus on the motorsport activities of Alpine’s parent group, Renault, at Viry-Chatillon. Thus, Famin will no longer serve as Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly’s boss moving forward. In his place, Oliver Oakes has stepped up to take the reins of the French outfit.

From being a karting champion during the 2000s to becoming the second-youngest Team Principal in F1 history, Oakes’ career in motorsports has been an interesting one. The Briton used to be a part of the Red Bull Young Driver Programme himself. Thus, the great Chief Advisor of the Austrian outfit, Helmut Marko, has shaped Oliver Oakes himself. Now, Oliver will be seen taking the helm at Alpine as he will try to bring the team to McLaren’s level as it had been only a few seasons ago.

When Oliver Oakes steps into his Alpine office, his hands will be full with a lot of work to do right from the start. The team that got the 4th place in the World Championship Standings in 2022, is now down in the second-last place. In fact, the team will also be losing Esteban Ocon before the next season arrives. So, Oakes needs to fix the driver line-up for the Enstone outfit ahead of its 2025 campaign. In the middle of all of this work, Oliver Oakes will get help from F1’s famous kingmaker Flavio Briatore.

While a massive job awaits Oliver Oakes in Formula 1, he has not been a famous face around the F1 paddocks until now. Thus, you might be wondering who is the man behind the name and how he makes it to the pinnacle of motorsports as a team leader.

Who is F1’s newest Team Principal Oliver Oakes?

Oliver Oakes’ abrupt debut in Formula 1 as a replacement for Bruno Famin has already made the headlines in F1 town. The Briton is slated to start work for Alpine once the season resumes after the summer break. At only 36 years of age, Oakes has built an empire for himself in the world of motorsports. He had competed in Formula 3 at one point in time but found his calling elsewhere. Since 2011, Oliver has been involved in a managerial role as he introduced his own team, Team Oakes Racing, in various international Karting Championships.

As the owner of Team Oakes, Oliver has worked with the likes of Callum Ilott, Marcus Armstrong, and Nikita Mazepin. Finding success in the business, the Norfolk native moved on to found the Hitech Racing team with co-owner David Hayle. Hitech is still operational to this day and it takes part in various widely-acclaimed competitions including the FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 Championships. Thus, even though he is just 36, Oakes has a vast experience of leading racing teams for 13 years. And from August of this year, he will put that experience to use in leading Alpine to reclaim its fame in Formula 1.

How is Oliver Oakes’ racing career linked to Red Bull?

While Oliver Oakes is the newest addition to the elite list of F1 team principals, he stands out because he has previous racing experience. The Briton has formerly raced for FIA-backed Championships and he can use the knowledge he gathered from there to give advice to his team’s racers. Oliver was born into a racing family as his father, Billy, owned the Formula Renault and British F3 team Eurotek Motorsport. Thus, Oliver Oakes started his karting career when he was just 4.

Why is Oliver Oakes replacing Bruno Famin?

Two years ago, Otmar Szafnauer quit Alpine abruptly at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. At that time, Bruno Famin was already acting as the CEO in charge of engine development for Alpine’s F1 division. To quickly replace Szafnauer, Famin stepped up into the role of a Team Principal while also maintaining his position as the Vice President of Renault. However, at 63, Famin has decided to shed some responsibility by leaving his leadership role at Alpine. However, he will still be a part of Renault, watching over the team’s motorsports operations.

Since Bruno Famin left Alpine midway through the 2024 season, Oliver Oakes joined the team. He will be responsible for the entire plan that the Enstone outfit makes ahead of FIA’s change in regulations in 2026.

What is in store for Alpine with Oliver Oakes as the new Team Principal?

In the last 2 years, Alpine’s results have had a hard fall from grace. The team has suffered some abrupt resignations as Fernando Alonso left for Aston Martin at the end of 2022 and Otmar Szafnauer resigned in 2023. While Alpine wanted Oscar Piastri as its next recruit, the Aussie decided to leave too by agreeing to a deal with McLaren. Hence, the times have not been in the French team’s favor and Oliver Oakes needs to change that.

In the statement he released following the news of his new role at Alpine, Oliver Oakes said, “I am extremely grateful to Luca de Meo and Flavio Briatore for this opportunity to lead BWT Alpine F1 Team back to competitiveness. I am confident that we can accomplish a great deal together during the remainder of this season and the longer term.” Thus, whatever change Oli brings to Alpine now, will remain in place for the long term as the Briton mentioned in his comment.

Currently, Oliver Oakes’ F2 team, Hitech Racing, is now 4th in the Championship, so Alpine should get to that level in Formula 1 too. But do you think this can happen within the next 11 races that are left to be held in this year’s F1 season? Let us know below.