Former Alpine boss Oliver Oakes in trouble as brother arrested with criminal charges

Former Alpine boss Oliver Oakes was rumoured to be hiding after his brother, William Oakes, was arrested by the UK police over criminal charges. Williams was stopped with a large amount of cash in his hands and was taken into custody. After Oliver Oakes resigned, many pointed their fingers towards Team advisor Flavio Briatore. But the 75-year-old man denied all the accusations and refused to comment.

Briatore said, “A lot has been said in the past 24 hours incorrectly associating the decision of Oli resigning to an alleged disagreement, or that we shared different views. This is completely false and far from the truth.” He added, “Me and Oli I have a very good relationship and had long-term ambitions to drive this team forward together. We respect Oli's request to resign and have therefore accepted his resignation. The reasons are not related to the team and are of a personal nature.”

Also Read: Alpine boss rejects links with Vladimir Putin-backed Russian Businessman

Oliver Oakes in Hide?

Now, the arrest of his brother Williams may have also triggered him to resign. William Oakes owns the F2 team Hitech Grand Prix. The team was formerly owned by Russian Formula 1 racing driver Nikita Mazepin’s father, Dmitry Mazepin, who is very close to russian president Vladimir Putin. 

Recently, Dmitry met Oliver Oakes at the Alpine Formula 1 garage, and many media houses questioned his credibility as team principal. But Oakes denied all that and said it was just a friendly chat. Williams Oakes is charged by the UK government over his connections with Dmitry, who has a close relationship with Putin.

The Alpine F1 team didn't comment on anything about Williams Oakes' arrest. The team made a big change by changing their driver lineup with Franco Colapinto coming in as a replacement for Jack Doohan. The Australian failed to score any points in the first 6 races and will now be assigned the role of a reserve driver. Colapinto will be given the chance for the next 5 races.

Also Read: What triggered Alpine F1 boss Oliver Oakes' resignation?- Explained