Alpine has confirmed Oliver Oakes will take over from Bruno Famin answerable for its Components 1 crew on the finish of August.
Oakes, 36, will grow to be the youngest present principal of a Components 1 crew. The previous racing driver at the moment runs Hitech, which he based in 2015, and now competes in Components 2, Components 3, GB3 and British Components 4.
He’ll report back to Renault CEO Luca de Meo. “It’s a pleasure to welcome Oli to the crew and for him to grow to be one of many youngest crew principals that this sport has ever seen,” he mentioned.
“This crew is being constructed for future success and that is highlighted by Oli’s appointment in a senior function.”
Alpine has endured a tough begin to the 2024 season and lies eighth within the championship. Bruno Famin, who took over as crew principal a 12 months in the past, confirmed final week he’s standing down because the crew considers abandoning plans to construct its personal energy unit for 2026.
Oakes mentioned he’s “extraordinarily grateful to Luca de Meo and Flavio Briatore for this chance to steer BWT Alpine F1 Group again to competitiveness. The crew has gifted individuals and glorious assets at its core, and I’m assured that we are able to accomplish a terrific deal collectively throughout the the rest of this season and the long run. I stay up for getting began after the summer season break.”
He might be Alpine’s fifth completely different crew principal since Renault rebranded its works crew at the start of 2021. Cyril Abiteboul was changed by Davide Brivio that 12 months, earlier than the crew employed Otmar Szafnauer the next season. The crew’s administration changed Szafnauer with Famin 12 months in the past.
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Oakes received the World Karting Championship in 2005 and joined Crimson Bull’s younger driver programme the next 12 months. He ended his driving profession in 2009 after competing in Components Renault Eurocup and British Components 3, then went into driver teaching.
That led Oakes to arrange his personal junior single-seater crew in 2015 below the identify Hitech. The next 12 months his crew took George Russell to 3rd place within the European Components 3 championship, behind the dominant Prema automobiles of Lance Stroll and Maximilian Guenther.
Oakes additionally ran a automobile for Nikita Mazepin, whose father Dmitri’s firm Uralkali invested within the crew. Mazepin returned to Hitech when the crew entered Components 2 in 2020, the 12 months earlier than he graduated to F1. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led to sanctions being imposed on the Mazepins and Hitech terminated its Uralkali deal.
Different drivers to have raced for Hitech embrace Liam Lawson, who made his F1 debut final 12 months, plus IndyCar champion Alex Palou and his rivals Marcus Armstrong and Rinus VeeKay. Amongst their present drivers is former Mercedes junior Paul Aron, who’s in rivalry for the F2 title.
In 2022 Oakes attracted criticism when he refused to drop Juri Vips from his F2 driver roster after he used a racial slur. Vips’ language price him his tempo on Crimson Bull’s junior crew and F2 issued a press release saying Oakes’ choice to maintain him within the sequence was “not one we might have taken”.
Final 12 months Hitech responded to the FIA’s request for purposes to hitch the Components 1 grid after Oakes attracted funding from one of many wealthiest individuals in Kazakhstan. He bought a 25% stake within the firm to Kazakhstani businessman Vladimir Kim. Nonetheless the FIA turned down Hitech’s software, approving Andretti as an alternative, although Components One Administration has refused to grant them a spot on the grid.
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