Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore has dismissed speculation that Oliver Oakes’ resignation as team principal was caused by a disagreement between the pair.

Alpine announced on Tuesday evening that Oakes has resigned after just 10 months as team principal, with his duties being taken over by Briatore, who oversaw multiple world titles for Benetton in the 1990s and Renault in the mid-2000s.

Oakes’ resignation was followed on Wednesday morning by confirmation that the team were dropping driver Jack Doohan for Franco Colapinto, leading to the logical assumption that the two situations were connected.

However, Briatore put out a statement via his Instagram account on Wednesday afternoon in which he insisted he retains a strong relationship with Oakes and that the 37-year-old’s departure was due to “personal” reasons.

“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 said in a statement that was jointly posted with the Alpine team’s official Instagram account.

“Me and Oli have a very good relationship and had long-term ambitions to drive this team forward together.

“We accept 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.

“I will continue to be more and 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 post also included a statement from Oakes, in which he confirmed Briatore’s claims.

“It’s been a privilege to lead everyone at Enstone, what a team, what a place,” Oakes said.

“It is a personal decision to 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.”

Oakes founded Hitech Grand Prix in 2015, with the British-based outfit impressing in single-seater championships, including Formula 2 and Formula 3. The Briton is a former racing driver and won the 2005 karting world title.

He took over from Otmar Szafnauer as Alpine team principal in August 2024 and oversaw a spectacular double podium for Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly in Brazil later that year.

Briatore is a controversial figure in F1 after being part of the “Crashgate” scandal which saw his driver Nelson Piquet intentionally crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to help Renault team-mate Fernando Alonso win the race.

He received a lifetime ban from F1 for his involvement in the incident but this was overturned by a French court.

The 75-year-old returned to F1 in May 2024 as Alpine’s executive advisor.

Briatore has been involved with F1 since the early 1990s, and enjoyed championship success with Michael Schumacher in 1994 and 1995, then Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006.

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