From karting champion to the second youngest Team Principal in F1 history – Who is new Alpine boss Oliver Oakes?

Oliver Oakes is the man tasked with taking over the reins at Alpine, after it was announced that he would be replacing Bruno Famin as Team Principal of the Enstone/Viry outfit at the end of the summer break.

Oakes is a familiar name within Formula 1 circles from both his racing career and his time as founder and Team Principal of Hitech Pulse-Eight, who are currently competing in several junior categories.

Now, at 36-years-old, the Briton becomes the second youngest Team Principal in F1's history. But what do we know about him and his journey to becoming Alpine team boss?

READ MORE: Alpine announce Oliver Oakes as new Team Principal following departure of Bruno Famin

Early life and karting

Oakes was born in Norfolk, England, with motorsport in his blood. His father, Billy, was the founder of former Formula Renault and British F3 team Eurotek Motorsport.

Like many, Oakes started out in karting and enjoyed plenty of success, becoming a two-time British Champion by the time he was 12 years old.

In 2005, now 17, he became a Karting World Champion, beating the likes of future F1 drivers Jules Bianchi and Valtteri Bottas to the top prize.

This caught the eye of the newly-formed Red Bull Junior Programme, as he joined Jaime Alguersuari, Sebastien Buemi, Brendan Hartley, and a certain four-time Formula 1 world champion named Sebastian Vettel as a member of the team.

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Single-seater career

A year later, Oakes made the move to single-seater racing, debuting in Formula BMW with Carlin Motorsport, winning one race, and adding a further three podiums to his tally before finishing sixth in the standings.

He would go on to compete in several other championships over the next few years, including the British Formula 3 International Series in 2008 where he raced in a field that included current Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.

In 2009, he took up a few test roles before returning to competitive action in the inaugural season of the GP3 Series in 2010, racing against the likes of Esteban Gutierrez, Alexander Rossi and Jean-Eric Vergne.

But, after a lone campaign in the category, Oakes turned his focus to management in 2011.

READ MORE: Gasly pays tribute to ‘honest and transparent’ Famin as Alpine boss prepares to step back from F1 duties

Moving to team management and Hitech Grand Prix

Initially, Oakes’ management career started in karting, forming Team Oakes, which took part in several major European and World competitions with success.

In 2015, he helped form Hitech Grand Prix (now Hitech Pulse-Eight). They initially started out in the European Formula 3 Championship but have since expanded into a number of other junior categories across the globe.

Currently the squad compete in FIA Formula 2, FIA Formula 3, the GB3 Championship, British F4, and the Formula 4 UAE Championship and they've enjoyed plenty of success along the way. Since their formation under Oakes, he has overseen them winning a number of Drivers’ and Teams’ titles.

Their most recent came in 2022 in British F4, when current McLaren-backed F3 driver Alexander Dunne took top honours and, two years later, they are on course to achieve the same again.

READ MORE: Gasly unhappy with ‘too many mistakes’ in Belgium as he urges Alpine to regroup after ‘frustrating’ run of weekends

On top of that, Oakes has been integral in helping several young drivers make their way through the pyramid – many being familiar names to Formula 1 fans. The likes of George Russell, Jack Doohan and Liam Lawson have all raced for Hitech under his stewardship.

Russell raced for Hitech in 2016 in his second season of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. He won two races and achieved 10 podiums that year, finishing third in the Standings, with his performances bringing him to the attention of Mercedes.

Oakes is now set to take the next step in his career and move to Formula 1, leaving Hitech in a strong position. They are fourth in the Formula 2 Standings, with driver Paul Aron third in the Drivers' Championship.

In Formula 3, they are fifth in the Teams’ Standings, with Williams Driver Academy member Luke Browning third in the Championship heading into the final round at Monza, where he is six points off the lead.

With Alpine looking to turn their fortunes around after a challenging period, could the Briton be the man to lead them back to competitiveness?

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