Briatore denies rift rumours after Oakes' shock Alpine F1 exit

Flavio Briatore has denied suggestions that disagreements between him and team principal Oliver Oakes led to the latter's Alpine F1 departure.

Oakes was brought to the team in July last year to replace Bruno Famin and then went on to form a tandem with executive advisor Briatore. But six races into the 2025 season Oakes has suddenly resigned, with Briatore taking over his duties for now.

The shock exit coincides with Alpine's decision to swap Jack Doohan with reserve driver Franco Colapinto for the next five races, after a tough start to the season for the under-pressure Australian. That fed suggestions that Briatore and Oakes disagreed on the move, and that perhaps Oakes was getting disillusioned with who is really making the key decisions at the Enstone outfit.

But in a joint Instagram post with Alpine, Briatore has denied that he and Oakes were disagreeing over the running of the team.

"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. This is completely false and far from the truth," Briatore stated in a joint Instagram post with Alpine.

"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 of a personal nature.

Flavio Briatore with Franco Colapinto and Alpine executive technical director David Sanchez

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

The social media post also included a message attributed to Oakes and directed at the Enstone staff. "It's been a privilege to lead everyone at Enstone; what a team, what a place," said the Oakes statement.

"It is 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. Everyone is in place for 2026 and where this dream deserves to be!

"I believe in Enstone."

Briatore is covering Oakes' duties for now, supported by Alpine's technical leadership that includes experienced hands like tech chief David Sanchez, racing director Dave Greenwood and sporting director Richard Lockwood.

"I will continue to be more and more involved with the team, together with the strong management we already have in place," Briatore said. "We will work hard on improving our position this season and preparing for 2026."