Oliver Oakes just stepped into the F1 scene, taking over from Bruno Famin at Alpine after the Belgian GP. He shared how Toto Wolff greeted him and discussed the differences between F1 and the lower racing series like F2 and F3.
Oakes came from a background in F2 and F3, where he was involved with Hitech GP. At the Singapore GP, he mentioned that F1 isn’t too different from these feeder series. “It’s funny. Some of it is really similar. You have the same characters in different roles,” he said.
Welcome to the Club
Toto Wolff gave Oakes a warm welcome, jokingly saying, “Welcome to Stefano’s club.” Oakes finds some parts of racing familiar across levels, but there are unique challenges too. It’s not just about making cars faster; it’s also about gathering talented people.
In Formula One, teams must create their own cars and innovate for an edge over competitors. Recently, McLaren faced scrutiny over flexiwings but handled it well. Oakes noted, “We just need to make a better car but there’s nothing like F1 is there?”
Junior racing offers simplicity because everyone uses the same car; you know if you did well or not each week. However, success still hinges on having a great team and trust among them.
Working closely with drivers is crucial. Oakes feels fortunate with Esteban and Pierre, noting their professionalism despite media buzz around them. They’ve been pushing hard this year, which helps his role at Alpine as they strive to improve their standing in the constructors’ championship behind Williams.
Fans might think it’s cool how these drivers handle pressure so well!
Alpine currently sits ninth in the standings, trailing Williams by three points. What do you think about their chances of moving up?
