Whispers and Official News
The May 6th edition of Autosprint revealed that Red Bull was considering Oliver Oakes, Alpine’s team principal, as a possible successor to Christian Horner, who is no longer as secure at the helm of the team. However, Oakes’ resignation from his role at Alpine last night was unexpected. The decision was made for personal reasons and was not related to the announcement made this morning about replacing Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto for the next five Grand Prix.
What’s Happening?
Especially after leaving Alpine, many in the paddock are seeing Oliver Oakes heading to Milton Keynes as the next team principal of Red Bull. But the 37-year-old from Norwich’s arrival – and here’s the twist – would not be an alternative to Christian Horner, but rather complementary. With Oliver Oakes as team principal, Christian Horner could be promoted within the Red Bull empire. Currently, the head of the Anglo-Austrian team holds the roles of team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Technology, and rumors that surfaced last year suggest he could take on a larger corporate role. The specifics of this potential new position are unclear at the moment, as Red Bull has three CEOs: Franz Watzlawick, Alexander Kirchmayr, and especially Oliver Mintzlaff, who oversees the brand’s sporting activities, including Formula 1.
Finally, it’s important to note that in January 2026, Christian Horner will have to attend a hearing at the UK Employment Tribunal over allegations of inappropriate behavior by an employee. In recent weeks, there have been rumors about possible negotiations to avoid going to court, but at the moment, no agreement has been reached between the prosecution and the defense.
Why Oliver Oakes?
As former driver Christian Danner recalled to Sport.de, “Oakes is an old friend of Horner’s; they’ve known each other for a long time and have already worked together.” This refers to Red Bull’s junior program, as Oakes, as the founder of Hitech GP, has had drivers like Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar, Jak Crawford, Ayumu Iwasa, Juri Vips, and Dennis Hauger in his team in lower formulas.
It’s also worth noting that the Brit was once a Red Bull junior driver, hired by Helmut Marko during the days of Sebastian Vettel, Sebastien Buemi, Jaime Alguersuari, and Brendon Hartley. The long-standing friendship between Flavio Briatore and Christian Horner could also act as a bridge between the amicable departure from Alpine (as stated by the Italian manager) and the potential move to Red Bull. Many have often noted similarities between Oakes’ career and Horner’s, as they are both among the youngest team principals ever seen in Formula 1.
Furthermore, the bond between Marko and Oakes is very strong, as the former Alpine team principal shared some time ago: “Between us, there’s friendship beyond the daily work. For me, Helmut has been a great mentor. The three-way management approach with Adrian Newey, Helmut Marko, and Christian Horner was a reference point for many.” Now, this trio could evolve, with new responsibilities, into Oakes, Horner, and Marko – with the latter announcing today that he’s not interested in early retirement in 2026. At least, not of his own volition…
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