Doriane Pin becomes first woman to pilot a Mercedes F1 car

Doriane Pin made history last Friday as the first woman to drive a Mercedes F1 car. Very few women have driven contemporary Formula 1 cars, with Pin being the first Frenchwoman and the first F1 Academy Champion to do so.

Mercedes teased the announcement of this milestone with a faceless picture featuring Pin’s helmet. This marks the first female driver to test an F1 car since Jessica Hawkins in 2023, who drove Aston Martin’s AMR21 at the Hungaroring.

Pin won the F1 Academy title in 2025, which was her second season, after finishing as runner-up to Abbi Pulling in 2024. Now, she will return to full-time endurance racing in the European Le Mans Series, as well as the Le Mans 24 Hours. This follows a three-year break due to an injury and a clash with her F1 Academy schedule.

Piloting the 2021 world-championship winning W12 Mercedes car, Pin completed 76 laps of Silverstone as part of Mercedes’ Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme. As part of her intense preparation, Pin dedicated time to working in the team’s simulator and working with engineers to sharpen her understanding of the procedures involved.

Whilst being a female driver doesn’t define me, it was great to show what we can do

Doriane Pin

Impressing the Mercedes team with her pace and performance, as well as her technical understanding and feedback, Pin proved that the long-term investment of Mercedes in her development is paying off.

She will no doubt continue to utilise this experience in her Development Driver position, which she started in 2024 as part of a switch to single-seaters, as well as in her role mentoring Payton Westcott, Mercedes’ 2026 F1 Academy driver.

Talking about the experience, Pin said: “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.”

Becoming the first woman to drive a Mercedes F1 car and our first Champion to do so is a true testament to what’s possible

Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy

It is no secret that Formula 1 is a male-dominated sport. Only five female drivers have competed in a Grand Prix in the history of F1, starting with Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1958. Lella Lombardi, who raced in F1 from 1974-1976, is the only woman to have scored points.

Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 ACADEMY, stated: “Seeing our F1 ACADEMY Champion test a Formula 1 car for the first time was incredibly special. I’m immensely proud to hear the team’s feedback that Doriane did an great job. She had no issues physically, and becoming the first woman to drive a Mercedes F1 car and our first Champion to do so is a true testament to what’s possible.”

It seems unlikely that Pin will be joining F1 anytime soon, after her move away from the single-seater ladder. However, the 22-year-old has asserted that, despite her current endeavours in endurance racing, reaching F1 is her ultimate goal.