Alpine's controversial former boss Oliver Oakes spotted in the F1 Imola GP paddock
Former Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes was reportedly spotted at the Imola GP paddock. According to the latest reports, Oakes, who lost his charge as the F1 team boss, was at the Emilia Romagna GP as the director of Hitech GP.
Following the Miami GP earlier this month, Alpine sacked Oakes as its team principal. The move caught many off guard as they temporarily promoted Flavio Briatore as its boss.
However, the team brought in Dave Greenwood, the racing director of the team, to take up the role as the team principal this weekend at Imola. As for Oakes, he had a wild few weeks, where he witnessed his departure from the French team, and his brother William Oakes got arrested with a large amount of money.
Fast forward to the race weekend at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Oakes returned to the paddock again, but this time for Hitech GP, a team he serves as a director. He was at the paddock as the team participated in F2 and F3 this weekend.
Hitech GP is a renowned team in the open-wheel racing fraternity and participates in Formula 2, Formula 3, GB3, British Formula 4, Formula Winter, and the F1 Academy series.
After Alpine sacked Oliver Oakes, he immediately moved to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. From there, he reportedly returned to the Silverstone Park area in the United Kingdom, at the headquarters of Hitech GP.
Alpine is in P9 of the Constructors' championship with seven points after six races and two Sprints. The Enstone-based team finished 2024 in P6, and many believed that the sharp decline in terms of performance was the reason behind his dismissal.
Former Alpine boss Oliver Oakes' brother is in police custody
William Oakes, the former Alpine boss Oliver Oakes' brother, is in police custody. As per PlanetF1, the younger Oakes was under the custody of the Northampton Police Department after he was charged with transferring criminal property.
"William Oakes, 31 (30.12.1993) of Rugby was charged with transferring criminal property on Friday, 2 May after he was stopped in the Silverstone Park area in Northamptonshire on Thursday, 1 May 2025 in possession of a large amount of cash."
"He appeared before Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, 3 May, and was remanded in custody," a spokesperson said from Northampton Police.
Oliver Oakes' immediate departure from Miami during the Miami GP raised suspicions about his involvement with his brother. However, there have been no such reports or proofs that link Oliver Oakes with William Oakes.