Oliver Oakes’ shock exit from Alpine comes after his brother's arrest

Oliver Oakes handed in his resignation as Alpine Formula 1 team principal just days after his brother was arrested in the UK, it has been revealed.

The Telegraph has reported that William Oakes was arrested in Silverstone last Thursday and charged with “transferring criminal property”. The police found him in possession of a large amount of cash.

Both William and Oliver Oakes are listed as directors in the Hitech Grand Prix team that operates in Formula 2 and Formula 3, among other series.

Oliver Oakes resigned from Alpine after brother arrested

“William Oakes, 31, of Rugby was charged with transferring criminal property on Friday, May 2 after he was stopped in the Silverstone Park area in Northamptonshire on Thursday, May 1, 2025 in possession of a large amount of cash. He appeared before Northampton Magistrates’ on Saturday, May 3, and remanded in custody,” a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said.

Oliver Oakes used to run the Hitech team in junior formulae before landing a role at Alpine’s F1 team around the summer break last year.

He resigned from his Alpine post on Tuesday evening, leading to speculation about the circumstances of his exit.

The rumours were fuelled by Alpine benching its original 2025 driver signing Jack Doohan for the next six races to evaluate the potential of reserve driver Franco Colapinto.

The news about William Oakes’ arrest lends credence to Alpine’s claim that the reasons for Oliver Oakes’ departure were “not related to the team and are of a personal nature”.

The older of the Oakes brothers is reported to have flown to Dubai following last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, his final race as Alpine’s team boss.