Former Alpine Formula 1 team principal Oliver Oakes' departure from the team this week was shocking — especially since it was followed by a driver swap and the once-banned Flavio Briatore taking over as team boss — but now some new details make Oakes' sudden split even more head-scratching. Oakes left the Enstone-based team after just about a year of leading them, and the move continued a concerning trend of leadership instability of the mid-field team. While initial suspicions were that the departure had something to do with disagreements over the driver lineups, that was squashed by a statement from Briatore shortly after the news broke. New details are making former-Alpine boss Oliver Oakes' departure even more head-scratching.\. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images) However, late in the week another unusual piece of news broke and that was that Oakes' brother, William Oakes, had been arrested and charged with "transferring criminal property". "William Oakes, 31, of Rugby was charged with transferring criminal property on Friday, 2 May after he was stopped in the Silverstone Park area in Northamptonshire on Thursday, 1 May 2025 in possession of a large amount of cash," a Metropolitan Police statement reads, per Sky Sports. "He appeared before Northampton Magistrates' Court on Saturday, 3 May and was remanded in custody." No further details have been revealed. William Oakes is the director of Hitech Grand Prix, a team that competes in junior formulas and was founded by himself and his older brother Oliver back in 2015. Oliver Oakes is still a director of the team. Now, it's crucial to remember that Oliver Oakes has not been linked to his brother's arrest and has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Still, the timing of his shock departure from his position leading a Formula 1 team just days after his brother was arrested and charged is, at the very least, going to make people ask some serious questions.