Alpine has announced the shock resignation of Oliver Oakes as team principal, just six races into the Formula 1 season.
Executive advisor Flavio Briatore will take over Oakes’ duties with immediate effect.
Oakes, 37, only took over the team in July last year, a month after Briatore returned from a long spell away from F1 to an advisor role.
Briatore has previously been team boss of the Alpine team in its previous guise as Renault, leading it to titles in 2005 and 2006.
Tuesday’s announcement came amid growing speculation the team is set to replace Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto, a situation which has hung over the team since the start of the year.
Oakes repeatedly fielded questions about the Colapinto situation, through preseason and the recent Miami Grand Prix weekend.
The timing of his departure will raise obvious questions about whether his decision to leave is related to that scenario.
A team statement said: “The team would like to thank Oliver for his efforts since he joined last summer and for his contribution in helping the team secure sixth place in the 2024 Constructors’ Championship.
“The team will not be making any further comment.”
Oakes became F1’s second-youngest team boss when hired last year aged 36 — only Christian Horner, who started at Red Bull aged 31 in 2005, was younger.
Under Oakes, Alpine scored a double podium at last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
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