Bombshell reports reveal former Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes's brother arrested in Dubai with 'large amounts of cash'

Former Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes' brother, William Oakes, has been reportedly arrested in Dubai. William was charged with transferring criminal property and was arrested with large amounts of cash.

Alpine has witnessed a massive exodus over the past few years, which took down its team principal, Oakes, in the recent ceasefire. While the F1 paddock has had its say on the 37-year-old's departure, the racing sphere had not even cooped together before a bombshell was dropped on the Oakes family.

The former team principal's brother, William, was arrested in Dubai, and a statement by the Metropolitan Police said (via PlanetF1):

"William Oakes, 31 (30.12.1993) of Rugby was charged with transferring criminal property on Friday, 2 May after he was stopped in the Silverstone Park area in Northamptonshire on Thursday, 1 May 2025 in possession of a large amount of cash. ’He appeared before Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, 3 May, and remanded in custody."

On the other hand, Oakes' departure makes Flavio Briatore Alpine's fourth different team principal in the last three years.

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Oliver Oakes made a short statement leaving Alpine

Former Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes at the F1 Grand Prix of Miami - Source: Getty

The Briton had been at the helm of the Enstone-based outfit since last year. He had replaced Bruno Famin and aimed to take back the French side to the status of a reputable mid-table team before looking onto the return to championship glory.

While the team showed snippets of brilliance, like in Brazil last year, the team started the 2025 season a fair way off the field. Moreover, Alpine became the last team to score points after Williams and Sauber beat them to the points table in the early phase.

This seemingly ignited the need to bring a change, all while the Jack Doohan saga boiled up in the background. However, Oliver Oakes' statement did not mention the struggles within the team and shared how Flavio Briatore had been a fatherly figure to him, and said (via the New York Times):

"It is a personal decision for me to step down. Flavio has been like a father to me, nothing but supportive since I took the role, as well as giving me the opportunity. Everyone is in place for 2026 and where this dream deserves to be!"

On the other hand, the F1 season is a quarter way through the calendar. Of the six rounds held so far, McLaren has been the early leader as Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari trail them.

Oscar Piastri leads the Drivers' championship after winning four of the six races held so far. Meanwhile, Lando Norris is a fair way behind his teammate in the standings as the Aussie has been the lead papaya driver recently.