Doriane Pin reveals Mercedes plan for private F1 test after impressing on simulator

2025 F1 Academy champion Doriane Pin has revealed that Mercedes plans to give her a private test in a Formula 1 car. 

The French driver, who was backed by the Brackley outfit throughout her campaign in the all-female racing series, signed with Mercedes as a development driver in 2026. 

After impressing during her simulator duties, Pin revealed that the plan was for her to test an F1 car. 

"Yeah, he said it," Pin confirmed of team principal Toto Wolff during an appearance on the Beyond The Grid podcast.

"Obviously, we had to see how the sim was going and then it was the potential next step, but the sim went well, very well actually, and that's why they had the idea to put me in a private test and to give me the chance to drive the real car.

"So definitely I'm really pushing for it as well because I really want my chance to drive the car and to show that there's potential because my target is to go to Formula 1. So I will make sure that I'm fully ready before jumping in the car in real life."

Doriane Pin, PREMA Racing

Photo by: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

When asked if she had had a seat fit yet, she added with a smile: "No, not yet."

Alongside her development driver duties with Mercedes, Pin has returned to endurance racing. Prior to her move to single-seaters, Pin had already enjoyed a successful stint in endurance racing, competing in the LMP2 class as part of the Iron Dames project in 2022. She has progressed to the LMP2 Pro-Am class in 2026.

The last woman to participate in an F1 race weekend was F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff, who drove in a free practice session for Williams in 2014, while the last woman to carry out a private test in an F1 car was Jessica Hawkins with Aston Martin in 2023.