Oliver Oakes, new team principal of the F1 team BWT Alpine, recently stressed the importance of patience to achieve success in restructuring the team. His move to lead the team after the 2024 summer break is part of a broader strategy to return the French team to the top of the championship. However, the road to success is long and the necessary changes will take time.
Oakes' Challenge at Alpine and in F1
Oliver Oakes faces a crucial challenge at a crucial time for the French F1 team. Since taking over the team after the summer break, he has inherited a complex situation, marked by poor performances and a difficult position in the standings. Indeed, after a disastrous start to the season that saw Alpine finish at the back of the grid in Bahrain Grand Prix, the team collected just 13 points, placing it ninth in the constructors' standings.

To make matters worse, frequent changes in leadership have not helped matters. Oakes’ predecessor, Bruno Famin, left after less than a year, having taken over from Otmar Szafnauer. These constant changes at the top of the team have created further instability, making the task of returning Alpine to the top level of Formula 1 even more daunting.
During ainterview given to Motorsport.comOakes explained how his experience running Hitech, a successful junior team, is not fully transferable to F1, where the dynamics and scale of operations are much more complex. He admitted:
“I knew it was going to be a challenging job. There are good and bad sides to it. The bad side is that there is so much to do, and I found myself having to deal with all these challenges right after the factory closed. However, the good side is that there are also opportunities for rapid improvement.”
Looking towards the future
Oakes acknowledged that building trust within the team is crucial to successfully navigating the future. Alpine has been through a turbulent few years, with management changes and operational difficulties that have undermined the team’s stability.
“You have to be patient and build trust. The team has faced many obstacles in recent years, and we have to be careful to make the right decisions and take the right steps forward.”

Despite the difficulties, however, Oakes sees Alpine as having untapped potential and believes that there are conditions for improvement. We should wait until 2025 to see the real growth of the team, according to what the team principal declared:
“I hope people at Enstone are aware of the journey we are on. We have worked hard to improve and we expect to see some results by the end of the year. The real test will be how we approach 2025. I don’t think there will be any drastic changes between now and the end of the year, but the real journey will be determined by the decisions we make in the coming months.”
Oakes inevitably looks to the future. From the new engine that it will no longer be Renault, to the new ones regulations that will come into force in 2026, next season will inevitably be a springboard. Alpine's goal is to make progress, but aware that in F1 nothing is guaranteed.
Determination and strategic approach
The complexity of the task facing Oakes should not be underestimated. The need to restructure the team, keep the drivers motivated and plan for the technological future, while addressing the challenges of the present, will require a combination of patience, strategy and quick decisions. Oliver appears ready to face these challenges with determination, aware that success will not come easily, but confident that with the right approach Alpine can return to competing at the highest level of Formula 1.