Oliver Oakes: “I have to learn to be patient”
The new boss of Alpine admitted having to learn new things since his arrival in Formula 2, especially the fact of not rushing. He is aware that Alpine will need time to be able to compete for titles.
Formula 1 is a sport of patience, and Oliver Oakes seems to have finally understood it. The former boss of Hitech in Formula 2, who took over the Alpine team just before the Zandvoort Grand Prix in replacement of Bruno Famin, who had left the French team during the Spa weekend, recently stated that he is still struggling to adapt to Formula 1 and that he still has to learn some of its aspects. The Briton finds himself in a very different situation from what he had experienced before, especially at Hitech, where the need for results was immediate, as the cars were not changed during the season.
Patience: essential asset to achieve success in Formula 1
Among the points he wanted to work on, the former race car driver mentioned the need to be patient and not hurry, because success in Formula 1 cannot be achieved from one Grand Prix to the next, and a poor result should not force the team to react immediately, but rather to first analyze what went wrong. It takes time for a project to come together, especially when considering Alpine’s, the Enstone team seeking to regain its glorious past.
A realization that inevitably adds pressure to Oliver Oakes, who is discovering the world of Formula 1 and is already facing many challenges, obstacles of which he was nevertheless aware before arriving, which did not prevent him from accepting this position. “It’s a big job, I knew that before accepting it,” he admits. “I think there is good and bad in it. I think the bad side is that there is a lot to do and you are directly thrown into it after the summer break, but I think the good side is that there are also things you can improve quickly.”
A new project materialized.
The former Formula 2 team manager is well aware of the difficulties Alpine has been facing lately, as the team underwent a complete overhaul of its management structure this season and has a car that is far from meeting its initial objectives. This situation makes his adventure with Alpine even more exciting, as he will try, with the help of all the staff, to bring the team from its current position to the top of the grid. Additionally, he has a lot of support from Luca [de Meo] and Flavio [Briatore], and actually, it’s something that excites me. I just realize that it takes a lot of time. Nothing happens as quickly as we hope. We need to be patient and build trust, as this team has been through a lot in recent years. We must ensure that we always take the right steps forward.
Despite the difficulties, the British is optimistic about Alpine’s future and believes in the team’s ability to bounce back by the end of the season, but especially next year. I hope now, in Enstone, people are smart enough to know where we started, what we have achieved, and they are on this path where we must bring performance by the end of the year. The A-arrowed team will also bring improvements by the end of the year, something it had not done in several races, which probably explained the lack of performance of the car. New features that must work, according to Oliver Oakes, in order to show that Alpine can progress its car and give confidence to all staff for next year, which will be crucial in the French brand’s project.
« But also, the real barometer of this will be to see how we start next year. I think the real journey will be through the next steps. I am certainly confident, because we have to work hard and we have not forgotten how to build a good race car. But I think that where we are, we know that we need to improve, ultimately.
» Even if nothing is guaranteed in Formula 1 and everything can change quickly, the new team director has full confidence in his team and drivers to achieve great things in the future, first in 2025, but especially in 2026 with the arrival of the new regulations.
In the meantime, Alpine must focus on the end of the season and its duel with Williams. The developments that Alpine will bring soon could allow it to surpass the Grove team in the championship and give hope for the continuation of the project, which has taken a new turn since the arrival of Oliver Oakes and the departure of Esteban Ocon, replaced by Jack Doohan next season.
