Navigating F1 Politics: Can Alpine’s New Team Principal Oliver Oakes Thrive Without Flavio Briatore’s Influence?

Will Flavio Briatore have a role in F1 politics with his new position at Alpine?

How will Oakes, the new team principal of Alpine, handle the political landscape?

The new head of Alpine's team is set to experience his inaugural Formula 1 race in his role in the upcoming weeks as the Dutch Grand Prix marks the return of racing.

The ex-racer, who is now 36 years old, established Hitech Grand Prix in 2015. Since then, the team has been participating in the junior categories of Formula 1 racing.

After Bruno Famin chose to resign from his position as Alpine team principal, Oakes was named as his successor and will officially start after the summer break.

The day following the Oakes announcement, it was verified that Jonathan Wheatley, Red Bull's sporting director, will leave his position at the current world champion team at the conclusion of 2024 to take on the role of team principal at Audi.

Wheatley will report directly to Mattia Binotto, the former head of Ferrari's F1 team, who now serves as the chief operating officer and chief technical officer at Audi.

While Binotto is expected to handle the political aspects of Formula 1, which lets Wheatley concentrate on his role as team principal, Oakes has to manage this responsibility by himself.

Sky Sports F1's Ted Kravitz believes it’s unimaginable for Alpine to have Flavio Briatore, who currently serves as an executive advisor to Renault CEO Luca de Meo, participate in team principal meetings in the same manner as Binotto would for Audi.

“He belongs to the group of eager, young drivers who have transitioned into team leaders,” Kravitz mentioned about Oakes on the latest Sky Sports F1 podcast.

"Having been a driver himself, he’ll understand what motivates drivers in his role as team leader."

“He understands team management, and I believe he will handle the political aspects well too. This is partly because Oakes lacks a direct superior to oversee the political matters.”

In the Sauber/Audi hierarchy, Wheatley serves as the team principal, while Mattia Binotto, the chief executive officer, oversees him and handles all the political matters.

"Oakes will need to handle all the political tasks on his own, unless he prefers to delegate them to Flavio."

Attending an F1 Commission meeting or a team principals' meeting… Flavio won't be showing up to the team principals' meeting. "He serves as an executive advisor to Renault's CEO. His role does not involve attending team principals' meetings.

At Sauber/Audi, Jonathan Wheatley holds the position of team principal, but the overall operations are overseen by Mattia Binotto, who takes a more strategic perspective.

Mattia Binotto is more accustomed to attending the coffee gatherings organized by Stefano Domenicali for team principals.

"One would think that Binotto will appoint Wheatley to manage the Formula 1 team, while Binotto himself will take on a more senior role within Audi, acting as a representative at that executive level."

"Oakes will need to navigate the political landscape swiftly, while we must observe if Wheatley, with his extensive experience in Formula 1, can bring his knowledge to bear. Despite Wheatley's deeper familiarity with Formula 1, Oakes has a stronger understanding of the responsibilities of a race team principal."

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