Formula 1: Chaos at Alpine as team boss Oakes leaves amid driver swap

Beijing, May 7 (IANS) The Alpine Formula 1 team has been plunged into chaos with news that Oliver Oakes has resigned as Team Principal just ten months after joining the team.

"BWT Alpine Formula One Team announces that Oliver Oakes has resigned from his role as Team Principal," read a team statement.

"As of today, Flavio Briatore will continue as Executive Advisor and will also be covering the duties previously performed by Oliver Oakes."

Oakes' resignation comes one day after it was widely reported that driver Jack Doohan was to be replaced from the next Grand Prix onwards by reserve Franco Colapinto.

Briatore, 75, has long been associated with the Enstone-based team, serving as Team Principal during its Benetton and Renault eras. Under his leadership, the team captured three Constructors' and four Drivers' Championships.

However, his tenure ended in disgrace after the 2008 Crashgate scandal, in which driver Nelson Piquet was instructed to crash deliberately during the Singapore Grand Prix to help teammate Fernando Alonso win.

The fallout led to Briatore's exit from Renault and a subsequent ban from FIA-sanctioned events, later overturned by a French court.

The Italian made a shock return to the F1 paddock in July 2024 - and was widely thought to wield considerably more power at Alpine than his title would suggest, with Oakes having little influence behind the scenes.

Oakes' resignation is the latest in a series of senior management departures at Alpine, reflecting deep-rooted instability at the top of the organization.

Otmar Szafnauer took over as Team Principal in early 2022, but left in July 2023 as part of a sweeping leadership shakeup that also saw the exits of Chief Technical Officer Pat Fry and long-serving Sporting Director Alan Permane.

Bruno Famin briefly succeeded Szafnauer but stepped down in August 2024, making way for Oakes.

The upheaval at Alpine has also extended beyond the leadership tier. Technical Director Matt Harman and Head of Aerodynamics Dirk de Beer both resigned in early 2024, while Rob White, a veteran with over two decades at Renault and Alpine, stepped down as Operations Director in May 2024.

--IANS

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