Doriane Pin makes history in a private test at Silverstone, becoming the first female to ever drive a Mercedes F1 car.
Having impressed in endurance racing, Pin joined forces with Mercedes in 2024 as she began her first F1 Academy season. The French driver won the opening race of the campaign in Jeddah with a controlled drive, immediately establishing herself as a title contender alongside Abbi Pulling. Pin ultimately finished the season P2 in the Drivers’ Standings with three victories and five further podiums.
In her second and final F1 Academy season, Pin claimed the 2025 Drivers’ Championship with 172 points, 4 race victories, and 4 additional podiums. Though throughout the season, she faced strong competition from Maya Weug, with the title fight going down to a season-finale race in Las Vegas.
With her success, Pin joined the Mercedes F1 Team as their official Development Driver for 2026, while also returning to endurance racing. Pin currently competes in the European Le Mans Series LMP2 Pro/Am class with the Duqueine Team.
Pin takes on the W12
On Friday, Pin made her debut in Lewis Hamilton and Valterri Bottas’ 2021 W12 Mercedes machinery in a Silverstone TPC test (testing of previous cars). The 22-year-old completed 76 laps of the 2.639 km Silverstone National Circuit for a total of 200 km of running on the day, according to the team.
Speaking ahead of the special test in a video on social media, Pin shared: “Hello everyone. Today is a very special day. I will drive for the first time a Formula One car in Silverstone. Very looking forward to it.
“It’s going to be a big day and something that I’ve dreamed for so long. So I will enjoy every second and take this chance to build myself and continue to grow and enjoy driving a Formula One car. And I will keep you posted of how it is and how special is this day.”
Beyond becoming the first female to ever drive in a Mercedes F1 car, Pin also becomes the first woman in three years to take on an F1 test. Jessica Hawkins was the last driver to do so in a private F1 car test with Aston Martin in 2023.
Doriane Pin on her Mercedes F1 test:
“Driving an F1 car for the first time today was unreal. I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity and to be surrounded by this incredible team. It was a unique opportunity and I made sure to enjoy my day to the fullest, along with doing the best job I could.
“Whilst being a female driver doesn’t define me, it was great to show what we can do. It was an extremely emotional day and I’m also thankful I was able to share this experience with my family.
“The W12 is obviously really different from the other cars I’ve been able to drive. Everything is different, bigger and more powerful. I am glad I was able to build confidence lap after lap and show what I was capable of.”
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director, commented:
“It’s been great to have Doriane complete a day of testing with the W12 today. It marks another major step on what is proving to be a very exciting and promising career and also makes her the first ever female driver of a Mercedes F1 car.
“Her preparation and professionalism has impressed the whole team and she should be really proud of what she has achieved.
“Whatever series you come from, it is always a massive step when getting into an F1 car but she looked at home from the very first laps and was able to enjoy driving the car on the limit.”
Gwen Lagrue, Driver Development Advisor, said:
“It is always really special for a young driver to drive an F1 car for the very first time. Today, it is even more unique as Doriane is the first ever woman to drive a Mercedes F1 car.
“We are very proud to show to the next generation of female drivers that driving an F1 car is achievable. I am sure we will see a woman driving in F1 in the coming years and as a team, we would be incredibly proud if we were to achieve that goal with someone in our team.
“Doriane can certainly act as an inspiration for those following in her wheel tracks as she continues her career and role as Development Driver with our team.”
