Inside Doriane Pin’s Path to Formula 1
Could Doriane Pin become the first woman to compete in Formula 1 in over half a century?
Reaching the pinnacle of motorsport has never been easy for women. Historically, only five women have entered a competitive Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend, and only two — Maria Teresa de Filippis and Lella Lombardi — successfully qualified and started a race. Giovanna Amati was the last woman to participate in a Formula 1 race weekend in 1992, attempting to qualify for three races. Since then, no woman has entered a competitive session, and only a handful, such as current F1 ACADEMY Director Susie Wolff testing a Williams in 2014 or Jessica Hawkins driving the Aston Martin AMR21 in 2023, have tried their hands on modern F1 machinery.
Now, Doriane Pin is narrowing that gap. She marked a breakthrough for both her career and women in motorsport by completing her first F1 test with Mercedes on April 17. After 76 laps around the Silverstone Circuit in the Mercedes W12, she became the first woman to drive for the Silver Arrows, continuing the legacy of women testing contemporary machinery.
Beyond the glamour of the test, however, there is more to Doriane’s story. While the W12 test is a significant step toward an F1 seat, she was winning titles and podiums long before her time at Mercedes.
Karting, Where It All Began
Doriane began karting at age nine — a “late” start by modern F1 standards. Because of her small stature and explosive starts, she quickly earned the nickname “The Pocket Rocket.” This physical disadvantage actually forced her to develop a technical edge early on; since she couldn’t outmuscle the kart, she perfected a smooth, precise style built on preserving momentum.
“I was three years later than everyone else. So I had to wait two and a half years to get into a go-kart. I went and played tennis for two years,” - Doriane Pin in an interview with Mercedes.
She spent three years honing these skills in the French National Karting Championships, often as the only girl on a grid that included future stars like Isack Hadjar and Esteban Ocon. A turning point came at the 2018 French Women’s Championship in Lavilledieu. During a rain-soaked final, Doriane put on a masterclass, recovering from an early incident to fight her way back to a third-place finish.
By 2019, her goal was clear: become national champion. Competing in the French Women’s Karting Championship (Championnat de France Féminin), Doriane swept all three finals to claim the title at just 15 years old.
Transition to Single Seaters
Moving from karting to car racing proved challenging for Doriane. By 2020, rising costs outpaced her family’s support, leaving her without the budget to enter her target series, Formula 4.
“At that time we were talking about €250,000 to do Formula 4, to try and find this budget is very complicated, we didn’t have even 20% of it. I chased that target and I had been looking for partners since I was 11, going to companies alone, without my dad. This was tough at eleven!” - Doriane Pin in an interview with Mercedes.
A lifeline arrived through an invitation from Renault to compete in three rounds of the Clio Cup France. Though it was not the start she had envisioned for her single-seater career, Doriane adapted instantly, finishing the season as vice-champion in the Junior class.
Soon, Dorinae’s raw speed caught the eye of the FIA Girls on Track initiative, earning her a spot in their 2020 intensive training camp. This three-day masterclass covered the essentials of professional racing: media training, team dynamics, tyre management, and full race simulations in Formula 4 machinery.
Eventually, Doriane reached the final four in Maranello but narrowly missed the winning seat in the Ferrari Driver Academy. Still, her performance left a mark. The Iron Dames programme recognised the Pocket Rocket’s potential and invited her to test a Ferrari GT car at Mugello and a further three-day test at Paul Ricard. Little did she know that this invitation would shift her career trajectory, placing Doriane on a direct path to Formula 1.
Proving Her Speed in the World Endurance Championship
What sets Doriane’s career in endurance racing is how much she has achieved in such a short period of time. At 17, racing alongside Manuela Gostner in the 2021 Michelin Le Mans Cup, she secured five podium finishes in her first six races despite visiting circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps and Monza for the very first time.
In 2022, she dominated the Ferrari Challenge Europe Series, winning nine of 14 races to secure the Trofeo Pirelli with a round to spare. That same year, she joined Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting, and Rahel Frey to win the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps — making them the first all-female crew to triumph at the iconic endurance event.
Pin’s 2023 FIA WEC Rookie Test performance earned her a full-time seat with Prema Racing in LMP2. Partnering with Mirko Bortolotti and ex-F1 driver Daniil Kvyat, she reached the podium in her debut race at the 1000 Miles of Sebring. Her pace and technical feedback eventually made her the first woman to win the FIA WEC “Revelation of the Year” award.
Mercedes and F1 ACADEMY
Despite immense success in endurance racing, Doriane’s goal was to return to her path towards the pinnacle of motorsports: F1. By late 2023, the Pocket Rocket made her long-awaited debut in single-seaters. Racing in the final six rounds of the F4 South East Asia championship with Prema, she finished second in the standings.
In 2024, Doriane’s chance to chase her F1 dream finally came. In collaboration with Prema Racing and the Iron Dames, the Pocket Rocket joined Mercedes’s Junior Programme, earning a shot at F1 by representing Prema in F1 ACADEMY — an all-female series using spec F4 cars founded by F1 in 2023.
Doriane immediately made an impression. Despite limited experience in single-seaters, the Pocket Rocket secured a double pole and a dominant win in the Jeddah opening round. By the end of her F1 ACADEMY tenure, she won the 2025 Championship and helped Prema Racing retain its crown as Team Champion.
“I have grown so much this year thanks to the team, even through some highs and lows, we fought to the end. Winning the first race of the season in Jeddah was so special, and having the Mercedes team there to celebrate with me made it even better!” - Doriane Pin in an interview with Mercedes.
What’s Next For Doriane Pin?
Despite clinching the F1 ACADEMY title last season, Doriane Pin has yet to move further up the single-seater ladder. Instead, the French driver graduates from the Mercedes Junior Programme to a Development Driver role — a less conventional, yet possible strategic path toward a seat in F1.
In this role, Doriane is part of a roster of drivers focused on development work in the team’s simulator, alongside activities at the factory and on the track. Thanks to her strong performances in the simulator, she also earned the opportunity to drive the Mercedes W12.
It can be frustrating for a champion when progression feels stalled. However, Doriane’s work with Mercedes will build a strong foundation for her F1 ambitions.
“So obviously, the thing that I want the most is to go to Formula 3 and then Formula 2 and Formula 1. But it’s not only me that decides and I have good people around me that support me.” - Doriane Pin in an interview with Mercedes.
Alongside her duties at Brackley, Doriane hasn’t forgotten her endurance roots. She returned to the European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 PRO/Am class with Duquiene Team — a return marked by a podium in the season’s first round in Barcelona, finishing P3 alongside teammates Richard Verschoor and Giorgio Roda.
With her duties behind the scenes with Mercedes combined with her already strong performances in the European Le Mans Series, it should be enough to place Doriane back onto the path of progressing up the single-seater ladder, either later in the year or in 2027.
So, what’s next for Doriane Pin? The “Pocket Rocket” has come a long way from the Renault Clio Cup, and only time will tell what her future holds. Regardless, her career already inspires — not just a generation of women aiming for F1, but anyone willing to do whatever it takes to chase a dream.
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