’It’s always been about racing, I don’t know anything else’ – F1's newest team boss Oli Oakes on getting Alpine back on track


Not long after Oli Oakes was announced as Alpine’s new Team Principal – and the second youngest team boss in Formula 1 history – he had a call from rival and Mercedes chief Toto Wolff to congratulate him.
“Toto said something quite funny,” says Oakes. “He said ‘it’s good to have some young blood [among] us dinosaurs!’ I was laughing away, it was nice of him to be so welcoming. People at home don’t often get to see that part of F1 – how close people are, how so many people have come up through the ranks together in different ways. I think it’s quite cool.”
Next Up
Related Articles
Hamilton feels ‘winning mentality’ at Ferrari ‘more than ever’
Why Hadjar’s mum knew about Red Bull seat before he did
Williams show off their new livery for 2026 F1 season
F1 AcademyAmerican Express confirms Dobson for 2026
What F1 drivers were up to during the remainder of the off-season
Newey opens up on debut Aston Martin design
