F1 2025: 75-year-old team boss told he is too old for top job

Toto Wolff and Flavio Briatore — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

75-year-old F1 team boss told he is too old for top job

Flavio Briatore has stepped up his role at Alpine

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 10 May 2025 08:58 Updated: 10:50

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Ralf Schumacher has provided his take on Alpine’s current management shake-up, after the shock exit of team principal Oliver Oakes.

Oakes, who only became Alpine’s boss last summer, has resigned from his role as team principal with immediate effect, whilst Jack Doohan has also been demoted to the role of reserve driver.

Alpine executive Flavio Briatore will take over Oakes’ duties, but Schumacher does not believe the 75-year-old should be the one to lead the team forward.

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"In his role and with his experience, he did a great job, but as team boss, he's too old to be actively involved in the company every day," Schumacher said to Sky Germany.

"Flavio will always do his own thing. That's also the reason why Oliver Oakes pulled the plug. Flavio had no problem with Oakes leaving either. From what I've heard, Flavio is doing everything himself, but I hope not."

Alpine axe Doohan and Oakes departs

Alongside Oakes’ departure, Alpine also decided to axe Jack Doohan and replace the Aussie with Franco Colapinto, who will compete for the team for the next five rounds from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix onwards.

Alpine’s boss, Briatore, is a controversial figure in the F1 paddock due to his involvement in the 2008 ‘Crashgate’ scandal, which saw his driver Nelson Piquet Jr intentionally crash to help Renault team-mate Fernando Alonso win the race.

The Italian originally received a lifetime ban from F1 for his involvement in the scandal, but this was overturned by a French court, and Briatore returned to Alpine as an executive advisor in 2024.

Nevertheless, Briatore oversaw multiple world titles for Benetton in the 1990s and for Renault in the mid-00’s, including both of Alonso’s world drivers’ championships in 2005 and 2006.

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Alpine Ralf Schumacher Franco Colapinto Jack Doohan Flavio Briatore Oliver Oakes