F1 News
'Bruno Famin set to step down as Alpine boss, this will be his replacement'
- Ludo van Denderen
Bruno Famin made no secret of it when he was appointed: the Frenchman only took on the role of team principal of the Formula 1 team Alpine temporarily. A year later, Famin seems to be putting his money where his mouth is. According to various media, the team principal is about to step down from his position and make way for his yet-to-be-appointed successor. Oliver Oakes, currently at the helm of Hitech in Formula 2 and Formula 3, is reportedly the intended new man.
Famin's impending retirement cannot be seen separately from the presence of Flavio Briatore within the team. The Italian, who recently joined as an advisor, is working in all sorts of ways to make Alpine more sportingly successful. For example, he is in advanced negotiations with Mercedes to become a customer of the German engines from 2026 - and therefore no longer have the current Renault power units in the back of the Alpines. The personnel shuffle at the top is also part of Briatore's duties.
Famin gone, Oakes on the move
Famin is reportedly stepping down during the summer break, to make way for a possible Oliver Oakes. The Briton is a former karting world champion, who was part of the Red Bull Young Driver Programme as a young driver. Oakes decided early on to focus on managing his own karting team, to become involved with Hitech in 2015.
Within the F2 and F3 paddocks, Oakes is known as a very amiable and capable team leader. Hitech recently tried to set up an F1 team, but the FIA rejected the British team's application. As a result, Oakes has not yet been able to break through to Formula 1.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy