Alpine boss Flavio Briatore has cleared the air and denied allegations of a “disagreement” over the sudden resignation of former Alpine driver Oliver Oakes.
On Wednesday morning, Alpine announced that Oliver Oakes had resigned from his position as team principal and would leave the team immediately. Hours later, the team also confirmed that Jack Doohan will be sitting out for the coming five races, to be replaced by driver Franco Colapinto.
Flavio Briatore, the team’s executive advisor, will assume Oakes’ responsibilities while continuing his advisory duties.
More: Jack Doohan dropped by Alpine: Aussie F1 star to sit out next five races
Oakes’ resignation came amid rumours regarding the change in Doohan’s seat.
Briatore made a statement via his Instagram page on Wednesday, saying the allegations are "completely false and far from the truth."
"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," he said. "This is completely false and far from the truth."
"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 personal,"
"I will continue to be more involved with the team, together with the strong management we already have in place. We will work hard on improving our position this season and preparing for 2026."
The Instagram post also included a statement from Oakes.
"It's been a privilege to lead everyone at Enstone, what a team, what a place," Oakes said.
"It has been 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."
Oakes, 37, is a former racing driver and founded Hitech Grand Prix in 2015. Oakes had served as Alpine’s team principal since last July, after Bruno Famin left the role. He was the fourth team principal of Alpine in less than four years, and also the youngest team principal in 2024 Formula 1.