Ex-Alpine Boss Oliver Oakes Spotted at Imola Amidst Resignation Speculation

Oliver Oakes, the former Team Principal of Alpine, is present at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola this weekend.

The 37-year-old has been observed in the F2 and FIA F3 paddocks at the Italian circuit, where his previous team, Hitech, is competing in the F1 support series.

Alpine announced Oakes' immediate resignation two days following the Miami Grand Prix, the preceding event of the season, which fueled significant speculation within the F1 community. It was later revealed that his departure was not connected to the Enstone-based team's decision to replace Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto.

Instead, the resignation stemmed from his brother, William Oakes, being arrested in the UK for transferring criminal property and possessing a large sum of cash. Reports at the time indicated that Oakes had traveled to Dubai.

While now in Italy, Oakes continues his involvement with Hitech, a team formerly led by Dmitry Mazepin. Following the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Mazepin's majority stake was transferred to Oliver Oakes. William Oakes subsequently took on the role of CEO in 2024, the same year Oliver Oakes assumed his position at Alpine.