Alpine Formula 1 team principal Oliver Oakes has admitted that he has to learn to be patient when it comes to making the changes he wants at the squad.
Having stepped up after the summer break to run the Enstone operation as it tries to plot its way back to the front of the grid, Oakes has quickly come to understand that success is not going to come overnight.
However much he learned as he helped guide his Hitech team to victories in junior categories, changing direction in huge F1 operations is a totally different matter.
“It is a big job, I knew that before I took it,” he admits. “I think there’s good and bad in that.
“I think the bad bit is there’s a lot to do and you’re kind of straight in after the shutdown, but I think the good is there are also things you can improve upon quickly.
“Also, there’s a lot of support there with Luca [de Meo] and Flavio [Briatore], and actually, I think that’s actually something I’m kind of quite excited about. I’m just realising it takes a lot of time. Nothing’s as quick as you hope.
“You’ve got to have patience and also build trust, because this team has been through a lot for a few years. We need to make sure we make always the right steps forward.”
Esteban Ocon, Alpine A524
Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images
Oakes knew when he took on the Alpine job that it was not going to be a walk in the park. The French manufacturer endured a terrible start to 2024, qualifying at the back of the grid in Bahrain, and has faced repeated team boss upheaval.
His arrival came following the departure of predecessor Bruno Famin as team principal, who himself had been in the job for less than 12 months after taking over from Otmar Szafnauer.
But while not an easy circumstance, Oakes says he has seen enough within Enstone to feel that the core qualities are there to make the right steps.
“I’d hope now at Enstone, people, they’re smart enough to know where we started, what we have done, and they’re on that journey that we need to bring some performance between now and the end of the year,” he said.
“But also, the true barometer of that is going to be how we start next year really.
“I think, at the moment, there’s nothing that’s going to change drastically between now and the end of the year. I think the real journey is sort of how we go through these next phases.”
He also has praised the input of drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, who have kept their chins up despite what has been an incredibly challenging campaign.
Oakes added: “To be fair they’re both, from my point of view anyway, good to work with, massively professional.
Oliver Oakes, Team Principal Alpine F1 Team, Flavio Briatore, Executive Advisor, Alpine F1
Photo by: Alpine
“There’s never any concerns over them being motivated. I think obviously they get frustrated, as I would. You don’t want to be cruising around on Sunday with nothing to fight for at the moment.”
The short-term target is clear: a step up in 2025 that acts as the launchpad to being right back in the mix when the all-new regulations come the following year.
And while bullish about what can be done, Oakes knows that nothing is ever guaranteed in motor racing.
“You’ve always got to be confident,” he added. “I do think in F1 though, it is complex, isn’t it?
“I’m definitely confident because we need to work hard and we haven’t forgot how to build a good race car. But I do think where we are now, we know we need to improve at the end of the day.”
