Oliver Oakes remains cautiously optimistic despite Alpine’s frustrating start to the 2025 season, with just one points finish to show for it heading to the F1 Miami GP.
“Frustrating is the right word,” he said at Friday’s press conference. “In Australia, we felt a little bit short-changed. It was nice in Bahrain to show where we really think we can be. We’ve definitely got some performance in the car.”
The inconsistency, Oakes explained, is less about Alpine’s pace and more about execution. “It swings track to track. What’s a bit annoying is you’ve got to take those opportunities when they come, and this year we haven’t quite managed to have that come together. But we are looking at it with a positive mindset.”
Asked why things haven’t come together for Alpine going into the F1 Miami GP, he offered a measured response: “If it was easy… No, a couple of those races, I think Australia, a bit of rain, bit of the Safety Car, China was a tricky weekend, didn’t suit us particularly well. It’s just a very tight midfield at the moment. Everybody is very close.
“That’s how it’ll be the rest of the year. We’ve definitely got performance in the car, and we’ve just got to execute good weekends.”
Despite the results, Oakes believes in the “progress” Alpine has made since he took over. “I think I applied that word at the time because there was a lot said in the press about the team and some of the turmoil. You can see a very united team now. We had some big results at the end of last year and good execution at the track.
“But it never stops. We haven’t fulfilled that fully yet, of course not. You want to be fighting further up the grid week in, week out.”
Pierre Gasly pivotal in Alpine’s midfield battle
Oliver Oakes also praised Pierre Gasly’s contribution this season. “He’s obviously the de facto team leader with his experience. He was already driving superbly last year, and at the beginning of this year, he has continued that.”
“With any new car, you try to make him happy as well. Some weekends he’s happier with the balance, some we’ve got a bit of work to do. But he’s bringing a lot to the team, and it’s good to see him helping us push forward,” he explained.
Oakes quashes Jack Doohan replacement rumours
As for the speculation around Jack Doohan, Oakes addressed recent rumours suggesting Franco Colapinto could replace the rookie at Imola. “I knew that was coming. I saw it, like everyone else.”
Disregarding it, he explained, “I think it was a sponsor from Argentina off-camera giving his view on Franco, when he’s going to be in the car. I’m sure there’s a lot of people in Argentina who’d like him in the car this Sunday. We’ve been pretty open as a team that that’s just noise.
“Jack needs to continue doing a good job. But it’s natural that there’s always speculation there.”
He made Alpine’s stance clear: “As it is today, Jack is our driver along with Pierre. We’ve been pretty clear on that. We always evaluate, but yeah – today, that is the case.”
