Flavio Briatore is set to take on the role of Alpine F1 team principal after the resignation of Oliver Oakes, who had held the position for just nine months. Briatore, who was already serving as an executive director at Alpine, will continue in this capacity while also stepping into the top leadership role, making him the de facto team principal. This unexpected development comes as Alpine also announces that they will replace driver Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto for the next five Formula 1 races.
Briatore’s return to the Formula 1 paddock is remarkable given his past history with the sport. The 75-year-old Italian was famously banned for life from all FIA-sanctioned events following the “Crashgate” scandal during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. In this controversial incident, Nelson Piquet Jr. claimed he was instructed by Briatore and chief engineer Pat Symonds to deliberately crash his car in order to aid Fernando Alonso’s victory. Although both Briatore and Symonds denied the allegations, Renault did not contest the charges in an FIA hearing, and both individuals eventually left the team. Briatore was handed a lifetime ban, but after a legal battle, the French courts overturned the ban in 2010.
At the time of his ban, Briatore expressed that he had no intention of returning to Formula 1. However, in 2024, he made a comeback after being persuaded by Renault CEO Luca de Meo to join Alpine as an executive adviser. His return was controversial, given the negative attention surrounding the Crashgate scandal, but he began working closely with Oakes, helping the team’s development under the Alpine brand.
Alpine, which has faced turbulence in recent years, has undergone multiple staff and management changes. This includes the abrupt dismissal of team principal Otmar Szafnauer in 2023, and the subsequent departure of several key technical and operational figures. Notably, the team has lost its chief technical officer, Pat Fry, sporting director Alan Permane, technical director Matt Harman, head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer, and operations director Rob White. Oakes himself replaced Bruno Famin, who had been acting as team principal following Szafnauer’s departure.
The team, which is based in Enstone and has a rich history of success under its previous identities as Benetton and Renault, is struggling to regain its competitive edge. The team won four world championships under Briatore’s leadership, all with Renault engines and drivers like Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso at the helm. However, despite past success, Alpine has struggled to break free from the midfield in recent years. In 2024, the team made the decision to stop developing their own power units at their Viry-Châtillon facility and instead, beginning in 2026, will switch to using customer engines from Mercedes.
The decision to bring Briatore back into the fold is seen by many as a move to inject new leadership and direction into the team. Alpine’s performance has been below expectations so far in the 2025 season, with the team currently sitting in ninth place in the constructors’ championship after six races. Briatore’s extensive experience and his previous success with the team could be pivotal in guiding Alpine back to the top of Formula 1.
Alongside Briatore’s return, the decision to replace Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto for the next five races indicates the team’s desire for fresh energy and performance. Doohan, who had been with Alpine’s driver program, has yet to make a significant impact in his Formula 1 appearances, leading to the change in drivers. The move to bring in Colapinto signals the team’s continued pursuit of improvement and competitiveness on the track as they seek to recover from a difficult start to the season.
