Horner Next? Rumours Swirl After Oakes’ Alpine Exit
May 7 – Rumours are already swirling after Alpine team boss Oliver Oakes suddenly resigned.
The very next day after multiple international publications reported that Jack Doohan is set to be dumped in favour of Franco Colapinto, it emerged that Oakes is also heading for the exit.
“As of today, Flavio Briatore will continue as executive advisor and will also be covering the duties previously performed by Oliver Oakes,” a team statement read.
The statement, which came before Alpine officially announced the five-race Colapinto deal, ended by warning the media that no further comment will be forthcoming.
Some see a clear connection between Oakes’ resignation and the likely Doohan-Colapinto swap, as there had been rumours of disagreement over the matter between Oakes and Briatore in Miami.
Tellingly, the heavily-sponsored Argentinean rookie is testing a two-year-old Alpine at Zandvoort on Thursday.
Another concurrent rumour is that Oakes may have been head-hunted by the controlling Thai faction of the energy drink Red Bull to replace Christian Horner.
The Italian publication Autosprint speculates that the upgrade package for Max Verstappen’s car at Imola could be Horner’s last chance to hold onto his job.
“The Thai faction saved Horner in early 2024,” Italian outlet Formula Passion said. “That Thai support now seems to be disappearing.”
Fascinatingly, while Dr Helmut Marko has been talking up the Imola upgrade as a potential turning-point, team boss Horner has been playing it down.
“There is no big update for Imola,” Horner said in Miami. “I don’t know where that’s come from.
“We’re at the stage of these regulations where it’s all incremental gains.”
As for Colapinto, Alpine advisor Briatore said the Argentine 21-year-old is only guaranteed the seat for five races – meaning Doohan could return.
“The 2026 season will be an important one for the team and having a complete and fair assessment of the drivers this season is the right thing to do in order to maximise our ambitions next year,” he said.
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I don’t think Horner is actually in danger of losing his job & while Colapinto may only be guaranteed for the next five rounds for the time being, I’m positive his status will eventually turn into a full-time drive with permanent effect thanks to his strong sponsor backing & marketability despite the crash damage he caused towards last season’s end nor do I even think he’ll perform badly, so most likely this driver change will eventually prove permanent with Doohan ultimately disappearing altogether.
Oakes to Red Bull lol
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