Since July 31, Oliver Oakes has changed dimensions. The founder and director of the Hitech GP team, present in a promotional formula, entered the big leagues by becoming Team Principal of Alpine in Formula 1. Since then, the British manager has already experienced many strong moments, with a improbable rise to 6th place in the Constructors' championship and a double podium for its drivers in Brazil, but also some controversies, already, such as the premature dismissal of Esteban Ocon before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix or more generally, the end of the engine program in 2026 and the transition to the status of a Mercedes customer team.
Over the past five months, Oliver Oakes has had to step into the shoes of a Formula 1 team director in a difficult context for Alpine. Since the arrival of A arrowed in Formula 1 in 2021 – having taken over from Renault – the French team has already experienced four different Team Principals (Marcin Budkowski, Otmar Szafnauer, Bruno Famin and Oliver Oakes), not to mention the numerous movements and departures over the past three years (Laurent Rossi, Davide Brivio, Matt Harman, Alan Permane…). An instability which did not scare the British leader when he arrived last July.
“I wouldn't say I was worried about the back and forth. My apprehension was more of a personal nature, because I have a young family, a wife who supports me, and I am therefore lucky in that respect, points out Oliver Oakes in the Beyond the Grid podcast. I think everyone knows that I have my own team, Hitech GP, in the junior categories. I wouldn't say it was difficult to leave, because it's still my company and I care about them and they are strong without me, but I think my apprehensions have more to do with my choice of life. You could say I'm naive, but I truly believe it is a privilege and a great responsibility to be a team manager. You don't have to worry about coming and going. This is the responsibility that must be assumed. »
Oakes « n’a not lost sight of what happened before” at Alpine
Despite his experience in promotional formulas with Hitech GP, the 36-year-old Team Principal – one of the youngest in the history of Formula 1 – questioned his abilities at length before accepting this position, he who must now manage a team of nearly a thousand employees and two factories. He also admits he asked himself some questions regarding the departures of certain managers before his arrival, but he confides having been reassured by Luca de Meo, boss of the Renault Group, and Flavio Briatore, executive advisor of the Alpine team, before signing his contract.
Related News :