F1 team chief is like a ‘ghost’ who only ‘appears’ on race days

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The power of F1 team principals varies across the grid. At Red Bull for instance, Christian Horner has strengthened his authority after an internal struggle.

When it comes to driver decisions, Horner now holds more influence than Helmut Marko. But even then, the intervention of Carlos Slim may have saved Sergio Perez, which shows that external forces are at play too.

Over at Mercedes, Toto Wolff is the face of the F1 team. But he’ll have to attain the agreement of his fellow shareholders before he names his Lewis Hamilton replacement, likely Kimi Antonelli.

Ferrari signed Lewis Hamilton from the Silver Arrows after a collaborative effort from Fred Vasseur and chairman John Elkann. But Mattia Binotto, Maurizio Arrivabene and Marco Mattiacci all demonstrate the precarity of Vasseur’s position.

In the case of McLaren, Andrea Stella is responsible for the day-to-day running of the operation. Zak Brown oversees proceedings from above, while also looking after the team’s other racing ventures.

And at Aston Martin, Mike Krack is beholden to the whims of billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll. That likely keeps his son Lance in place alongside Fernando Alonso.

Michael Schmidt says Flavio Briatore quietly ‘pulls the strings’ at Alpine

The most recent change to the crop of team principals came at Alpine, where Bruno Famin made way for Oliver Oakes. Famin wasn’t sacked per se, but he will instead focus on other departments.

Speaking on the Formel Schmidt podcast, however, journalist Michael Schmidt suggested that it’s Flavio Briatore who’s really ‘pulling the strings’.

Briatore controversially returned to F1 in June when Renault CEO Luca de Meo hired him in an advisory role. He’s subsequently driven the team’s move towards customer status – Alpine have reportedly agreed an engine deal with Mercedes for 2026.

And it seems he’ll also be the man to decide on Esteban Ocon’s replacement. Jack Doohan, the current reserve driver, looks like the favourite.

Schmidt reckons that Briatore handpicked Oakes and will outrank him in the de facto Alpine hierarchy. With visibility of the 74-year-old in the F1 paddock limited, he likened him to a ‘ghost’.

“That’s a Flavio man of course,” Schmidt said of Oakes. “So in the end that has confirmed the one who makes the decisions is Flavio Briatore. He only ever appears like a ghost on Sundays, but he pulls the strings. And he really holds them tight.”

Who is new Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes?

Alpine would likely have made Oakes aware of the scope of his role before he arrived. Given that he previously headed up the Hitech team in the junior categories, this is clearly a huge opportunity.

A world karting champion, Oakes earned a place in the Red Bull driver academy. While he never made it onto the F1 grid himself, he’ll now take up a prominent position within the sport.

And he may yet grow in stature. There’s talk that Hitech could buy Alpine before 2026, having unsuccessfully applied for a spot themselves.

Some view the end of the engine operation at Viry as the prelude to a sale. Oakes’ arrival may yet represent another step in that direction.