Alpine F1 shake-up: Oliver Oakes exit possibly tied to brother’s legal trouble. Oliver Oakes' resignation from Alpine may be linked to his brother's arrest on money laundering charges.

According to a report by The Telegraph, Oliver Oakes’ resignation from his role as Alpine team principal may be connected to the legal troubles of his 31-year-old brother, who was taken into custody after appearing before the Northampton Magistrates’ Court last Saturday.

The personal issues mentioned in Alpine’s press release regarding Oliver Oakes’ resignation may relate to a story revealed today by the British outlet The Telegraph.

William Oakes, 31, Oliver’s brother, was arrested last Thursday in the Silverstone Park area on suspicion of transferring criminal property. William currently serves as director of HiTech Grand Prix, the team founded by Oliver Oakes in 2015.

According to The Telegraph, William Oakes was found in possession of a large amount of cash and was placed in custody after his court appearance in Northampton on Saturday.

Oliver Oakes submitted his resignation earlier this week, and The Telegraph states he is believed to have flown to Dubai following the Miami Grand Prix. His abrupt departure surprised many in the paddock, especially as there had been no public signs of tension between him and Alpine.

In a joint statement shared on social media, both Oakes and Flavio Briatore categorically denied that the resignation stemmed from any internal conflict.

“It’s a personal decision,” said the former Alpine team principal yesterday. “I’ve decided to step back. Flavio Briatore has been like a father to me, always supportive, and gave me the chance to lead the team.”

Flavio Briatore also commented: “Oli and I have an excellent relationship and long-term goals. His decision to resign has nothing to do with the team, but stems from personal reasons. In the past 24 hours, there have been claims that we disagreed—this is completely false and far from the truth.”

The situation brought to light by The Telegraph presents a very different picture compared to previous speculation and could also involve Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, who was the majority shareholder of HiTech until nine days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Mazepin acquired a stake in HiTech in 2016 when his son Nikita joined the European Formula 3 championship, where Oakes’ team competed. He later returned to the team full-time in 2020 to race in Formula 2.