The Director and Founder of Hitech GP, Oliver Oakes, has been announced as the new Team Principal of BWT Alpine F1 Team following the exit of Bruno Famin.
The Enstone-based outfit have announced the appointment of their third team principal in just over a year amidst a tumultuous few seasons with poor results. Oakes, who, has had continued success founding and running Hitech GP’s Formula 2, Formula 3 and Formula 4 teams, will now make the step to F1 to tackle the ailing French team.
The Exit of Famin
Oakes’ appointment to Team Principal of Alpine comes after it was announced last week that Bruno Famin would step down from the role. The Frenchman was brought into the position just over a year ago at the 2023 Belgian GP, where he replaced Otmar Szafnauer. In a bid to breathe new life into the struggling team, Famin was officially announced as the Team Principal for the 2024 season with the intention to find someone else, and so far, the team has failed to climb the ranks. In fact, should the team remain on the trajectory they seem to be on, they could be in for their worst Championship result since their owner Renault returned as a full constructor in 2016.
Alpine have also lost several senior figures, including their Sporting Director, Chief Technical Officer and Head of Aerodynamics. While Famin will remain as part of Alpine, working on their other projects outwith F1, the Frenchman marks another brief stint as Team Principal of Alpine – with Szafnauer’s predecessor Davide Brivio also failing to stay in the role for much longer than a year.
Who is Oliver Oakes?
Oakes is the Founder of Hitech GP, a single-seater team currently competing in Formula 2, Formula 3 and Formula 4. A world karting champion and former Red Bull Junior himself, he comes into the position with a high level of both personal and business knowledge. In fact, Hitech GP applied for an entry to the F1 grid as part of the FIA’s invitations for expressions of interest last season. The bid was unsuccessful, but Oakes has now found a way in, albeit through Alpine.
Notable drivers previously competing under Hitech GP include Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson, who is currently on the lookout for an F1 seat, and Red Bull Academy driver Isack Hadjar, who currently leads the 2024 Formula 2 Championship – albeit under Campos Racing this year.
Currently competing for Hitech in F2 is Paul Aron, who was notably dropped by Mercedes’ junior programme in 2023, but now sits P3 in the 2024 F2 Championship. Hitech also have a driver in P3 in the 2024 Formula 3 Championship; Luke Browning sits a mere six points off the lead going into the final race of the 2024 season after summer break. A Championship title could well be on the cards. With a proven track record of taking drivers to the top of feeder series championships, Oakes will be looking to make significant improvements to the ailing Alpine team.
[adrotate banner=”10″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.
Feature Image: Alpine