Oliver Oakes has had a very impressive career so far. Like many people in the motorsport industry, Oakes was introduced to it through karting. From there, he continued to race and then move forward into a more managerial position. Oakes started his own team management and started his first karting team back in 2011 which gave him the necessary skills and experience to be a leader in this industry. In August of 2024, it was announced that Bruno Famin would be leaving the Alpine F1 Team and that Oliver Oakes would be stepping in as the Team Principal. 

Early Life and Education

Oliver Oakes was born on January 11th, 1988 in Norfolk England when the young Brit grew up. His father, Billy Oakes, was the founder and owner of the former Formula 1 team, Formula Renault as well as the British Formula 3 team, Eurotek Motorsport. Oakes grew up being surrounded by the motorsport industry, so it is no surprise that he followed suit and also pursued a similar career. When Oakes was younger, he studied at the prestigious boarding school, The King’s School, which was formerly known as King’s Ely. 

It wasn’t always clear that Oakes would move into a managerial position. He originally started karting at the young age of 4. At the age of 12, Oakes had become the British Open Champion in Karting twice. In 2005, Oakes won the Karting World Championship when he was 17 years old. He was clearly a skilled driver, and had the talent to continue pursuing racing. 

In 2006, Oakes graduated from karting and moved into car racing. He had his first debut race in Formula BMW with Carlin Motorsport where he had a stellar performance, claiming pole position and a victory. After a very successful first season, Oakes ended up in 6th overall in the Formula BMW UK Championship and was nominated for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award. 

Oakes also joined Motopark for the 2007 Formula Renault Eurocup Season, Eurotek Motorsport for the British Formula 3 Championship in 2008 and Carlin Motorsport for his 2009 campaign. He never completed his 2009 campaign and instead, moved into a test-driver role for the rest of the year. He raced in the GP3 series in 2010 for Atech CRS, but had a disappointing season and wasn’t able to make his mark. 

Oakes founded Team Oakes Racing in 2011 and it serves as a karting team and management service. Some notable drivers who have driven for the team include Callum Illott, Marcus Armstrong, Nikita Mazepin and Clement Novalak. Team Oakes Racing has competed in the CIK-FIA World and European Championships, The German DKM Series, as well as WSK Championship events. 

In 2015, David Hayle partnered with Oliver Oakes to form Hitech Grand Prix Ltd and push the team to compete in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. The team was originally founded in 2002 under the name, HiTech Racing Ltd, but that changed when Oakes got involved. 

In 2016, Hitech merged with ART Grand Prix in order to compete in a full season of the FIA F3 European Championship. In 2022, Oakes took full control of the company and it now competes in the FIA Formula 2, FIA Formula 3, Formula 3 Asian Championship, and the FIA Motorsport Games. 

In August of 2024, it was announced that Oliver Oakes would be stepping in as the new Team Principal for the Alpine Formula 1 Team after Bruno Famin departed the French team. 

Career and Achievements

Oliver Oakes has had a lengthy career in motorsport so far. He started in Karting where he was a very successful driver, winning British Open Champion twice by the age of 12. In 2005, when he was 17,  he won the most prestigious championship in karting, the Karting World Championship. 

From there he moved onto Formula racing, where he had a promising early career. In 2006, Oakes made his Formula debut in Formula BMW with Carlin Motorsport. In his very first race, he claimed pole position and secured the victory. At the end of the season, he finished in 6th place overall and was nominated for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award. 

In 2011, Team Oakes Racing, a karting and team management service, was founded. Over the years, it saw many notable drivers be a part of the team. Some of those drivers include Callum Illot, Marcus Armstrong, Nikita Mazepin and Clement Novalak. The team competed in the German DKM Series, the CIK-FIA World and European Championships and lastly, it competed in WSK Championship Events. 

In 2015, Oakes got involved with Hitech Grand Prix and became the sole owner of the team by 2022. Hitech Grand Prix has been a successful racing team and it currently competes in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, FIA Formula 3 Championship, and the Formula 3 Asian Championship. 

Oliver Oakes was announced as the new Alpine Formula 1 Team Principal in August of 2024 after the departure of Bruno Famin. The Brit will lead the team into the 2025 Formula 1 Season. 

Net Worth and Salary

At this time, Oliver Oakes’ net worth is unknown to the general public. His net worth is expected to be high considering his long and successful career within motorsport. Despite the exact details of his current salary being unknown, it is assumed that Oakes has received a significant increase to his earnings based on his current position as the Alpine F1 Team Principal. 

Personal Life

Oliver Oakes leads a very private personal life. It is believed that he does not currently have a spouse or significant other. It is important to respect the privacy of others and to note that personal lives and information can change very quickly. 

Future Prospects

With his long career in motorsport and very high knowledge of the racing world, Oliver Oakes is sure to make his mark with the Alpine F1 Team. In November of 2024, Oakes led the team to their first double podium at the São Paulo Grand Prix with Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon. This was the teams’ first double podium since 2013. 

With his effort and Oakes’ commitment to the team, there is no doubt that he will lead the team to success in the coming years.