Oliver Oakes admits “reorganizing Enstone was the right thing to do for Alpine”. Oliver Oakes reflects on reorganizing Enstone and reducing Alpine staff.

The team principal of the Alpine Formula 1 team, Oliver Oakes, stated that the team’s resurgence in the second half of the 2024 season proved that streamlining operations at Enstone was the right path to take.

Oliver Oakes, head of the Hitech junior team, was brought in by Renault CEO Luca de Meo, along with advisor Flavio Briatore, to help stabilize Alpine after a challenging first half of the 2024 campaign.

As part of Luca De Meo’s plans, the manufacturer decided to shut down its F1 power unit program working on the new 2026 engines, instead signing an agreement with Mercedes.

However, the reorganization led by Oakes and Briatore also affected the Enstone headquarters, which was downsized from over 1,100 to around 900 employees.

Explaining the reasoning behind the move, Oakes said that the recent improvement in performance under the guidance of technical director David Sanchez demonstrated that the reorganization was the “right thing to do” for the leaner team.

“At that time, it wasn’t just Viry [the facility where the team’s power units are built] being reorganized but also the Enstone base,” Oliver Oakes said.

“I think we’ve shown that it was the right thing to do, and in the end, every F1 team is always looking to improve but also to be more efficient. In a world with a budget cap, you need to make sure resources are allocated to the right areas. And I think the main argument was that we need to focus on the primary goal, which is building a good race car and going racing. That’s been a real ethos since I joined the team last July: everything focuses on building a better car and competing in races. I’d say we’re now about 900 [people at Enstone]. Obviously, in F1, everyone talks about headcount. And some calculate it based on whether certain roles are included or not, whether they produce gearboxes or suspensions. I’d dare say we’re now one of the smallest outfits, considering we handle the entire car.”

Oakes is confident the team has everything it needs to return to the top of the standings, though he refrained from specifying a timeline.

“Enstone has been around for a long time,” he explained. “The walls have more F1 history than most factories, but we have the right amount of resources. The main resource today is talented people, and we have many of them, of great quality.”

“In recent years, a lot of investment has been made, showing the group’s support and commitment. We have a new simulator, a new engine test bench—all things that probably haven’t been talked about, but we have everything we need.” – he pointed out.

“But we continue to invest. That’s one thing that has amazed me in F1: it’s not just a wish list for those who want a race car. There are also all the surrounding tools. It never stops.”