Damien Smith
RACING LINES
Oakes (left) brings youth and Briatore (right) some degree of controversy to Alpine
Formula 1 will return this weekend after its summer break, as the Dutch Grand Prix starts a run of 10 races towards the Abu Dhabi finale in December. There’s plenty still to shake out, despite Max Verstappen’s healthy lead over Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings – not least McLaren’s more realistic chase of Red Bull for the teams’ title. Will the latter’s decision to stick by Sergio Pérez (for now) make it vulnerable to attack or will the Mexican rally and start scoring proper points again?
Further down the pit lane, there’s anew face on the pit wall. Oliver Oakes, once a promising racing driver and founder of junior singleseater team Hitech, is the latest to be pitched into the principal role at Alpine, the troubled Renault-owned factory team that has lurched from one bewildering episode to another these past couple of years. At 36, Oakes will inject fresh energy into the team, having tried and failed to land Hitech its own place on the F1 grid. But his job list is extensive and complicated. As he will be all too aware, he’s diving into the ‘Piranha Club’ with one of the toughest gigs.