Confirmed
Doriane Pin targets Formula 1 race seat by 2031
Mercedes development driver Doriane Pin aims to secure a Formula 1 race seat within five years, following her F1 Academy championship win.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team development driver Doriane Pin has publicly stated her ambition to secure a Formula 1 race seat within the next five years. The French driver, who won the 2025 F1 Academy championship, articulated this timeline in a recent interview. Her goal positions her for a potential F1 debut by 2031.
Pin's F1 Ambitions
Pin’s declaration came during a Mercedes “In Convo With Kids” interview. When directly asked about her five-year outlook, she responded, “In Formula 1.” Pin expressed a belief that achieving this goal would “open some doors to all the girls that want to be a Formula 1 driver.” This statement underscores her commitment not only to her own career but also to promoting greater diversity within motorsport.
Her connection to the Mercedes Formula 1 team began after her 2025 F1 Academy title. Pin subsequently signed as a development driver. In April 2026, she made history as the first woman to drive a Mercedes F1 car, completing laps at Silverstone in the 2021-spec W12 chassis. This test provided valuable experience in contemporary F1 machinery, a crucial step in her progression towards the top tier of motorsport.
Multi-Disciplinary Motorsport Career
Beyond her F1 development role, Pin maintains a busy racing schedule across multiple disciplines. The 22-year-old serves as a development driver for Peugeot in the World Endurance Championship. She also holds a similar role with Citroën in Formula E. Her competitive efforts extend to the European Le Mans Series, where she races in the Le Mans Prototype 2 Pro-Am class for the Duqueine Team. This breadth of experience in high-level sports car and electric racing provides a comprehensive skill set and exposure to various racing environments.
Pin has consistently advocated for increased diversity and inclusivity within motorsport. She identified diversity as a key area for global improvement, stating, “more opportunities for everyone. Especially with my experience in a male-dominated sport like motorsport. So it would be good if we had a lot of women also in Formula 1.” Her active pursuit of an F1 seat aligns with her broader goals for the sport.
Historical Context for Female Drivers
Should Pin achieve her target, she would join a select group of women who have participated in Formula 1 sessions. Susie Wolff, F1 Academy managing director, participated in official free practice sessions for Williams in 2014. Her appearance marked the first time in 22 years that a woman had competed during a Grand Prix weekend. More recently, Aston Martin ambassador Jessica Hawkins has also driven modern F1 cars in demonstration runs. Pin’s aspirations highlight the ongoing efforts to see a female driver return to regular competition in Formula 1. Esapekka Lappi, a Finnish WRC driver, recently announced a pause in his professional rallying career, a separate development unrelated to Pin's F1 ambitions or any other Finnish connection in this story.
Status And Sources
This story is labelled Confirmed, which means the people involved have said this on the record. The rules behind those labels are in the editorial policy, and the desk that published it is Eero Lahtinen.
Written from the following reporting. Each link goes to the newsroom's own page, not to an aggregator:
- Motorsport.commotorsport.com
