#briatore

The full story behind the team’s secret takeover and recent collapse—our two best drivers are now in a very uncertain position.

Oliver Oakes, a former racing driver turned entrepreneur, had a dream: to bring his junior team, Hitech, into Formula 1.

But he didn’t have the money.

Enter the Mazepin family—Dmitry Mazepin and his son Nikita—who were already involved in Hitech and backed by major funding from Uralkali.

Oakes needed investors, and Dmitry Mazepin seemed like the ideal partner.

Nikita raced for Hitech in GP3 and F2, always supported by his father's financial power.

Together, Dmitry and Oliver had a bigger plan: take Hitech to F1. The pieces were falling into place—until things got complicated.

Fast forward to 2024.

Alpine was at its worst: a slow car, management in chaos, and financial instability.

Flavio Briatore was brought in. His mission? Save Alpine’s finances and, reportedly, prepare the team for a future sale, maximizing its value.

Briatore’s first move?

Cutting costs—laying off nearly 400 employees, closing Renault’s F1 engine factory, and switching to Mercedes engines by 2026.

He wasn’t just improving Alpine’s performance. More importantly, he was making the team look profitable.

Oakes was recruited to stabilize operations and ultimately fulfill his dream of becoming an F1 team principal.

The plan was clear: Alpine would be sold to Hitech, and Oakes would take the reins.

Phase 1: Briatore and Oakes prepare Alpine for sale.

Phase 2: Renault scales down its F1 presence; Hitech takes control.

Phase 3: Alpine rebrands as Hitech F1, with Oakes as team boss and his own driver (Aron) in the seat.

What would’ve happened to Pierre Gasly or Franco Colapinto? That was never made clear.

Oakes' dream collapsed when his brother was arrested just days before his unexpected resignation from Alpine.

His brother had been linked to a financial operation involving Dmitry Mazepin and was reportedly found in possession of criminal proceeds tied to the Mazepin family.

That arrest derailed the plan to buy Alpine.

The money to finance the deal had reportedly been routed through a shell company in Cyprus to bypass sanctions against Russia.

Now? The plan is dead.

Here’s the harsh truth:

Colapinto, Gasly, and even Doohan might not have been as important to the plan as fans thought.

Their role was likely limited to keeping Alpine looking competitive while Oakes and Briatore worked behind the scenes.

No driver is truly safe.

Not Gasly, not Colapinto.

To be clear—this isn’t about Jack Doohan.

Briatore is ruthless. In his world, financial results come first, sporting results second.

In Formula 1, it’s never just about racing—it’s about money and politics.

And sometimes, not even the best drivers can save themselves.

Bits taken from HammertimeMagazine

The arrest of William Oakes, brother of Oliver Oakes, has not only rocked the paddock, but has also put the spotlight back on Hitech Grand Prix and its links to Dmitry Mazepin.

The real unresolved issue would be the change of ownership of the team, which occurred in March 2022, at a crucial moment from a geopolitical point of view. Until nine days before the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Hitech was controlled at 75% by Bergton Management Ltd, a company based in Cyprus with ties to Mazepin.

Three days after Mazepin and his son Nikita were hit by the sanctions, it was Oliver Oakes who set up a new entity, Hitech Global Holdings Ltd, through which he formally assumed control of the team.

The sporting "feud" between Jack Doohan and Franco Colapinto, in fact, would only be the latest "symptom" of a deeper tension, linked to Oakes' failed attempt to bring the Hitech name to Formula 1 with the financial support, far from transparent, of the Mazepin family.

Part of the capital used to support the team's expansion projects - including the interest in purchasing Alpine - would come, as told to you this evening, from funds transferred by the Mazepin family through a front company based in Cyprus. A scheme that would have circumvented the sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United Kingdom on the Mazepin family with the outbreak of the war.

Oliver Oakes himself would have been at the center of this operation: not only as a formal beneficiary of the Hitech shares sold by Bergton Management Ltd in March 2022, but also as a possible intermediary for still active interests.

The failure to officially enter Formula 1 through Hitech - stopped by the FIA ​​- would have pushed Oakes to look for a new path, aiming for an internal climb at Alpine.

The puzzle is completed with other disturbing details: Doohan and Paul Aron - would have followed Oakes within the Alpine team, together with numerous engineers and technicians. Colapinto, on the contrary, would have been a foreign body to the system, introduced by Flavio Briatore and supported by sponsors deemed "inconvenient" for the internal balance.

The recent arrest of William Oakes therefore appears to be the (temporary) epilogue of a house of cards built on unstable foundations. Cash, offshore corporate structures and an escape to Dubai complete the portrait of an ambitious and dangerously exposed project.

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