#oakes

[nicovarrone]

What if I told you Alpine’s star drivers were never part of the real plan?

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.

Source: Inside Alpine

[strangecrustacean]

thinking about fr dragons

[jitterysims]

Before Eleanor could even conclude her heated rant against Carter, Giuliana emerged from the hallway and delivered a resounding slap across Eleanor's face, committed to defending Carter. The shock was palpable; despite their years of friendship and Giuliana's knack for meddling in her relationships, their conflicts had never escalated to physical blows. Nevertheless, Eleanor's outrage was uncontainable. Without a second thought, she retaliated with a swift punch aimed at Giuliana. The confrontation swiftly devolved into a hair-pulling frenzy, the air filled with a barrage of shouted invectives amidst their struggles.

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[electronicsquid]

Dance in Oakes, North Dakota

(Michael Rougier. 1962)

[emstompedie]

together forever pt. 1 (Boris x Fem!Reader)

You and Boris had met at 12 years old. You had been at the park late night getting some thoughts out. Sadly your father had left to go live with your now step-mother. Your mother constantly worked and tonight you were going to surprise her with dinner.

You ended up getting yelled at at how horrible the food was and how useless your mother though you were. She began to become more violent over the years. Today she snapped. She pushed you against the wall continuing to yell. Once you were on the floor crying. She paused. “Get out. I can’t do this right now.” She said. You agreed and then you were there at the playground where you met your soulmate.

“Hello?” You said. You heard footsteps but you couldn’t see very well since it was night.

“Hello.” You saw a figure walk up to you. The streetlight near the swings helped you see him better than when he was across the playground.

In front of you stood a sorta tall, lanky, pale boy. Who had looked like he had not one but of sunlight in his life. He had long curly hair. Maybe even a mullet. That looked like it hadn’t been combed or washed. When you looked to his face you gasped.

There were bruises and his nose was bleeding.

“Oh my god! Are you ok?” You stood up and looked at his face closer.

He smiled. “I am ok принцесса. Thank you for asking. I was just in a bit of trouble with my father. He decided to give me a bit of a punishment.. haha..” he tried to laugh to make it seem funny but you were horrified.

“What’s your name? You should stay somewhere other than your home.” You said, words rushing out. He laughed.

“I already have somewhere to go. My friend Potter let’s me stay with him when this happens. My name is Boris. And you? Why are you out here?.. What is your name?”

You sighed. “I’m Y/N. Uh.. Well.. My mother, she wasn’t really in a great mood. I tried to make dinner but.. She wasn’t so… proud.. she kind of kicked me out for the night. And now I’m stuck here at this playground for the night.” Your heart hurt remembering.

“Hey, hey, is ok принцесса.. Come stay with me and Potter for a little. He’ll welcome you.” He said. You smiled.

You followed him to an empty street to a house where a boy, shorter than Boris, answered.

“Come in! Welcome.” He said smiling, but with a bit of hesitation.

And that’s how you met your bestie, Theo, and your soulmate. Boris.

(принцесса = Princess in Russian)

[weil-weil-lautre]

What the 1619 Project Got Wrong

The 1619 Project claims to reveal the unknown history of slavery and racism in the United States, when in fact these topics have been the subject of intense scholarly investigation for decades. What distinguishes the project is the ideological bias that leads its editors to erase the history of antislavery and distort the history of slavery.

But no counterfactual speculation is required to discern the contours of the slaveholding South’s internal crisis. The extraordinary wealth that so bedazzles the editors of the 1619 Project was in fact evidence of a rapidly developing crisis. Slave ownership was concentrating in fewer and fewer hands. Thirty-five percent of Southern families owned slaves in 1830, but that number fell to about 30 percent by 1850 and fell still more precipitously to 25 percent in 1860. The price of slaves skyrocketed to the point where a single “prime” field hand cost what, in today’s currency, would amount to tens of thousands of dollars. Yeoman farmers who aspired to slave ownership were thwarted, and even the sons of established planters found it difficult to reproduce the wealth of their parents. Meanwhile, the rates of landlessness became widespread in many parts of the South, and the number of poor whites increased dramatically. For a slaveholding class that had long justified itself by claiming that buying a slave was the first step up the social ladder, the ladder’s collapsing rungs generated both an ideological and a political crisis.

There is no reason to believe that taking the Civil War out of the story would have significantly altered the trajectory of the slave economy’s paradoxical history. By 1860, the South was the largest, wealthiest slave society on Earth — quite possibly the largest slave society in the history of the world. But even as King Cotton was ascending his throne and extending his reach across the Southern frontier, the Southern economy was steadily declining relative to the North’s. Within the larger American economy, cotton was pawn, not king. A late nineteenth century without a war would have witnessed the North’s great leap into industrialization, even as the cotton market stagnated. Under conditions of geographical restriction, the price of slaves might well have collapsed, and with that, much of the South’s “wealth” would have evaporated.

[extaenebrisvita]

“Ha! Harry Potter!” “Fuck you.” awkward crickets.