William Oakes scandal: F2 truck at Imola arrives without Hitech GP logos. After the arrest of William Oakes, Hitech GP’s F2 truck arrived in Imola stripped of all logos.

The situation appears rather tangled
Oliver Oakes resigned from his role as Alpine team principal for personal reasons and flew to Dubai after the Miami GP. The British outlet The Telegraph reported what is likely the key to understanding Oakes’ decisions. His brother, William, was arrested on Thursday, May 1st near Silverstone Park (headquarters of the Hitech GP team), charged with the transfer of illicit assets. He was stopped by the police while in possession of a large amount of cash and was taken into custody.

The Imola Grand Prix is the first event on the calendar following these events and also includes F2 and F3 track action—categories in which Hitech GP plays a major role. This involvement had led to a collaboration with Toyota, with the Oakes brothers’ team listed on the entry lists under the name Hitech TGR (Toyota Gazoo Racing).

According to the X account Cytrus, the F2 truck arrived in Imola completely white. All Hitech logos and any references to the team founded by the Oakes brothers have been removed. In F2, Hitech TGR fields two drivers from F1 junior programs: Ferrari-backed Dino Beganovic and Williams Academy’s Luke Browning. In F3, Hitech TGR runs Norwegian driver Martinius Stenshorne, who competed against Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the 2023 Formula Regional series, along with China’s Gerrard Xie and Austria’s Joshua Dufek. Starting with Friday’s free practice, the team’s form—now rocked by a leadership crisis—will be under scrutiny.