Oakes: Alpine’s Enstone overhaul was ‘right thing to do’

Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes says the French outfit’s strong results in the latter part of the 2024 F1 season validated its decision to overhaul its Enstone operations.

Oakes, who joined Alpine mid-season shortly after the arrival of executive advisor Flavio Briatore as part of Renault CEO Luca de Meo’s efforts to stabilize the team, led a significant restructuring of the organization.

This included slimming down Alpine’s workforce at its Enstone headquarters from over 1,100 employees to around 900.

The team also shifted focus away from its in-house power unit program for the new 2026 engine regulations, opting instead to become a customer of Mercedes.

On-Track Validation

The reorganization was controversial, but Oakes believes the results achieved in the back half of the season under the guidance of technical director David Sanchez justify the decision.

“At that time it wasn’t just Viry that was getting a little bit reorganized; we were also doing the same on the site in Enstone,” Oakes explained, talking to Motorsport.com.

“I think we’ve proven that was the right thing to do, and at the end of the day, every team in F1 is always striving to get better, but also to get more efficient.”

Oakes stressed that the changes were necessary to ensure Alpine could operate effectively within the constraints of F1’s budget cap while focusing on building a competitive car.

“In a budget cap world, you’ve got to make sure you’re putting resources in the right area,” he added.

“I think the mainstay of that topic was that we need to focus on the main thing, which is building a good racing car and going racing.

“And that’s been a real ethos since I arrived in the team in July – everything is about making a better car and going racing.”

A Leaner Team with the Tools to Succeed

While Alpine’s reduction in workforce has made it one of the smaller teams on the grid in terms of headcount, Oakes emphasized the outfit’s efficiency and capability.

“I’d say we’re now around 900 [people in Enstone],” he explained. “Look, I think obviously everyone in F1 talks about headcount.

Read also:

• Alpine’s 2024 Season: From chaos to comeback

“And some people calculate that as whether you’re counting people in cap, out of cap, whether you’re producing your own gearbox and suspension or not.

“I dare say we’re one of the sort of smaller outfits now, considering we do the whole car.”

Investing in Quality, Not Quantity

Despite the downsizing, Oakes remains confident that Alpine has the resources and infrastructure necessary to compete at a high level.

He highlighted the investments made in recent years, which include upgrades such as a new simulator and dyno.

“Enstone has been there a long time. The walls have got more history in F1 than most factories, but we’ve got the right amount of resources there,” Oakes said.

“The main resource today is good people, and we’ve got a lot of great people there.”

“There has been a lot of investment the past few years, which also shows the support and commitment from the group at the end of the day.

“We’ve got a new simulator, new dyno, all those things that probably haven’t been spoken about, but we have everything we need. But we are continuing to invest.

“That’s one thing that’s amazed me in F1—it’s not just the wish list of what they want on the race car. It’s also all the toys around that. It never stops.”

Looking Ahead

Oakes stopped short of providing a specific timeframe for Alpine's return to the top of the midfield pack.

However, the team's strong showing in the latter half of 2024 suggests the restructuring efforts are paying off.

With a focus on efficiency, talented personnel, and continued investment, Alpine appears to be on the right track for future success.

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