Alpine’s new crew principal will face his first Formulation 1 race within the job within the subsequent few weeks when racing resumes on the Dutch Grand Prix.
The 36-year-old former racer based Hitech Grand Prix in 2015, which has been competing on the F1 junior collection ladder.
Following Bruno Famin’s resolution to step down from the function as Alpine crew principal, Oakes was appointed as his substitute and can start correctly after the summer season break.
The day after the Oakes announcement, it was confirmed that Purple Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley would step down from his function on the reigning world champion squad on the finish of 2024 to change into crew principal at Audi.
Wheatley will work instantly below Mattia Binotto, the ex-Ferrari F1 crew boss who has been put in as chief working officer and chief technical officer at Audi.
The place Binotto will doubtless take duty within the political facet of F1, permitting Wheatley to give attention to his job as crew principal, Oakes faces this activity on his personal.
In response to Sky Sports activities F1’s Ted Kravitz, it’s unthinkable to see a state of affairs the place Alpine would have Flavio Briatore – who now holds the function of Renault CEO Luca de Meo’s government advisor – be concerned in crew principal conferences in the identical method Binotto can be for Audi.
“He’s very a lot in that membership of formidable, younger drivers-turned-team bosses,” Kravitz mentioned of Oakes on Sky Sports activities F1’s most up-to-date podcast.
“As a crew boss he’ll know what makes drivers tick, as a result of he was one.
“He is aware of how groups are run and in a way I feel he’ll be okay on the political facet as effectively, as a result of what Oakes doesn’t have is someone instantly above him who shall be doing the entire political stuff.
“So, Wheatley is crew principal, however he has chief government officer Mattia Binotto instantly above him within the Sauber/Audi construction who will have the ability to do the entire political stuff.
“Oakes goes to must do the entire politics stuff himself, until he desires Flavio to do it.
“Being in an F1 Fee assembly or being within the crew principals’ [meeting]… Flavio’s not going to show as much as the crew principals’ assembly. “He’s an government advisor to Renault’s boss. That’s not a place for him to show up at a crew principals’ assembly.
“Now, when you’re at Sauber/Audi, okay the crew principal is Jonathan Wheatley, however the boss of the operation who’s taking a higher-level view is Mattia Binotto.
“Mattia Binotto is extra use to being at Stefano Domenicali’s crew principals’ espresso mornings.
“So, you’d think about Binotto will get Wheatley to run the Formulation 1 crew however he’ll be concerned at that larger Audi stage in representing at that sort of consultant stage.
“However Oakes goes to have to do this politics factor and fairly shortly, whereas we’ll have to attend and see whether or not Wheatley – who is aware of extra about working in Formulation 1, as a result of he’s labored in Formulation 1 for a lot of extra years than Oliver Oakes has… Wheatley will know extra of that, however Wheatley doesn’t know as a lot about being a race crew principal as Oakes does.”
