Damon Hill drops a one-word reaction to Alpine's Flavio Briatore's comments about Ollie Oakes' departure from the team 

Former F1 world champion and pundit Damon Hill gave a crisp reaction to Alpine Flavio Briatore clearing up the rumors behind Oliver Oakes' departure from the role of team principal in the French team. The Brit's exit from the Enstone-based outfit at the end of the Miami Grand Prix came as a shock to many, as there was no indication regarding the move.

Oakes joined Alpine as team principal in Spa last year and was relatively successful in turning around their fortunes in 2024 and guided them to finish P6 in the Constructors' Championship.

However, his exit from Alpine due to 'personal reasons' caught many off guard and led them speculation regarding a potential conflict between him and Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore.

In a statement released by Alpine, Briatore refuted claims of any conflicts between him and Oakes and said:

“A lot has been said in the past 24 hours, incorrectly associating the decision of Oli resigning to an alleged disagreement, or that we shared different views. This is completely false and far from the truth. Me and Oli have a very good relationship and had long-term ambitions to drive this team forward together. We respect Oli's request to resign and have therefore accepted his resignation.

"The reasons are not related to the team and are of a personal nature. I will continue to be more and more involved with the team, together with the strong management we already have in place. We will work hard on improving our position this season and preparing for 2026."

Damon Hill reshared Alpine's statement around the clarification on his Instagram Story and wrote:

"Chiaro [translates to clear]."

Snapshot of Damon Hill's story about Briatore...Credits-Instagram

With Oliver Oakes's departure, Flavio Briatore will take over the responsibilities of a team principal for the near future.

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Former Alpine team principal reveals reason behind his exit

Former Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes stated that it was a 'personal decision' for him to vacate the role and had no conflict with the Italian.

As per ESPN, the Brit, who was one of the youngest team principals in F1 history, clarified:

"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 the dream deserves to be."

Briatore will be the eighth team principal of the French team in the past five years and had previously served in the same role in the 90s and 2000s and led them to titles. However, he was banned from the sport for his involvement in the 'CrashGate' scandal in 2008, but the ban was lifted a couple of years later.