Chandhok: Alpine is influenced by factors that we don't see

      The reshuffle of the Alpine F1 team and the resignation of Oliver Oakes as head of the Renault factory team are certainly among the main news of recent days.

      Karun Chandhok, a former Formula 1 racer and now a member of the Sky Sports commentary team, believes that both are signs of a more serious crisis that is shaking the team from Enstone.

      "Something is clearly happening, and I can feel it," said Karun, taking part in the F1 Podcast Show. – I believe that what is happening at Alpine is influenced by much more serious problems. After all, Oakes left the team not only because of the decision to replace Jack Duane with Franco Colapinto.

      He couldn't just turn down the opportunity to be the head of one of the ten Formula 1 teams – and only because of the decision on which of the drivers would pilot the second Alpine car. Moreover, if we talk about the racing abilities of Duane and Colapinto, then I don't see much difference between them. They're about on the same level.

      The situation is clearly influenced by some other factors that we simply do not see. I haven't had a chance to talk to Oakes yet, even though we've known each other for quite some time. Perhaps it would be wrong to pester him on the very day when the news of his resignation appeared, but I suspect that some serious processes are going on behind the scenes of these events.

      For example, we know that Oliver brought a lot of good professionals to Alpine, whom he knows from working in his Hitech team, the same Dave Greenwood, as well as several other engineers. But now people are fleeing Alpine: the day before, I heard that five more people from their racing team had joined Cadillac F1.

      In my opinion, seven team leaders have been replaced at Alpine since 2020 – and in just five years! All this is a clear sign of instability..."