Shock in the F1 circus: Briatore back, Oakes resigns surprisingly!

Shock in the F1 circus: Briatore back, Oakes resigns surprisingly!

Imola, Italien - On May 6, 2025, the BWT Alpine F1 team announced significant personnel changes. Oliver Oakes, who had been the team boss since July 2023, resigned with immediate effect. Flavio Briatore, who returns to the top of the team at the age of 75, now takes over the management and remains chief consultant at the same time. This was officially announced on Tuesday evening, with Alpine Oakes thanked for his efforts during his short term.

Oakes, once the youngest team boss in the history of Formula 1, had taken on the role after Bruno Famin's resignation. Under Oakes' leadership, the team reached sixth place in the design championship in 2024. Nevertheless, his term was not without difficulty, especially the team performance this season, which brought a disappointing ninth place in the rating with only seven points.

unrest in the team and upcoming driver change

rumors about an upcoming driver change have given great interest in the past few weeks, especially with regard to Jack Doohan, who has not scored any points this season. The team duel with Pierre Gasly was clearly disadvantageous, which intensified speculation about a possible exchange, possibly in favor of Franco Colapinto. Colapinto, who is currently acting as a replacement driver, was able to show Williams last year and is considered a serious contender for the cockpit.

The opinion of Pierre Gasly after the race in Miami reflects the challenge in front of which the team is facing. He expressed that the team was behind the entire weekend and needed labor -intensive days to find solutions. These difficulties contributed to the quick decision about Oakes' resignation, which is considered surprisingly after he had only led six races this season.

Briatores Return and History

Briatore, who previously worked successfully as a team boss with Benetton and Renault and won the World Cup with greats such as Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, could bring new strategies and impulses through his return. He is not only known for his success, but also for his controversial past, including his involvement in the so-called "crashgate" scandal. These incidents led to an initial lifelong lock, which was later declared invalid.

The appointment of Briatore takes place in view of the current difficulties of the team, which only won five points from nine races last season. In his new role as executive advisor, he will not only lead the team, but will also be active in areas such as talent couting and driver market analysis, which could be of great importance for the strategic orientation of alpine.

Overall, the dynamics within the alpine team under Briatores leadership are observed with excitement, especially with the emerging changes in the driver's artery. The expectations of the upcoming races, especially before the Grand Prix in Imola on May 18, are high.

For further details and backgrounds of these developments, read the articles by maz-online.de , nyTimes.com and Formula1.com .