The sudden resignation of Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes has triggered a wave of speculation, with rumours now swirling about Christian Horner's future at Red Bull.
Oakes' departure was announced just a day after multiple international media outlets reported that Alpine is set to replace Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto at the upcoming Imola Grand Prix.
An Alpine statement confirmed, "As of today, Flavio Briatore will continue as executive advisor and will also be covering the duties previously performed by Oliver Oakes."
The team, which later announced Colapinto's five-race deal, warned that no further comment would be provided.
Some sources suggest a direct link between Oakes' exit and the Doohan-Colapinto swap, with reports of tension between Oakes and Briatore over the decision during the Miami Grand Prix weekend.
With Oakes now gone, the path was clear for Colapinto's debut at Imola, with the Argentine rookie also scheduled to test a two-year-old Alpine at Zandvoort on Thursday to prepare.
Concurrently, speculation has emerged that Oakes may have been approached by Red Bull's Thai faction to replace Horner as team principal.
Italian publication Autosprint suggested that Red Bull's Imola upgrade package could be Horner's final chance to secure his position. Formula Passion also noted, "The Thai faction saved Horner in early 2024. That Thai support now seems to be disappearing."
While Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has touted the Imola upgrade as a potential turning point, Horner downplayed its significance in Miami, stating, "There is no big update for Imola. I don't know where that's come from. We're at the stage of these regulations where it's all incremental gains."
As for Colapinto, Briatore clarified, "The 2026 season will be an important one for the team and having a complete and fair assessment of the drivers this season is the right thing to do in order to maximise our ambitions next year."
He noted that the 21-year-old is guaranteed the seat for only five races, leaving open the possibility of Doohan's return.
