Doriane Pin says F1 dream is now a goal after Mercedes test

2025 F1 Academy champion Doriane Pin hopes that her Formula 1 test with Mercedes will open the door to more opportunities in the championship, as she explained that securing a seat in F1 has now become a goal rather than a dream.

The French driver joined the Mercedes Junior Team in 2024 when she entered the all-female racing series. After winning the championship in 2025 , she was promoted to the role of development driver at the Brackley outfit. 

Come April 2026, and Pin was behind the wheel of the Mercedes W12 from the 2021 F1 championship. 

"Driving again in Formula 1," Pin said when asked what her next goal is during the Mercedes Nu Silver Arrows Show. 

"I hope I will have the opportunity. I think we did a pretty good job today. I hope it will open some doors and some opportunities for the future, but what is next is Le Castellet in three weeks for ELMS [European Le Mans Series]. 

Doriane Pin

Photo by: Tristan Fewings / LAT Images via Getty Images

"And with F1, I hope this chapter is only the beginning and I will have more chances to drive a Formula 1 car and to continue my progression step-by-step, and hopefully be in FP1 at one point."

Talking about her goal of driving in F1, the 22-year-old added: "But from when I was nine until a few years ago, it was a dream - Formula 1. And now it's a goal. It's a bit different. And now I have proved to myself that I can be fast in a Formula 1 car, I don't know what to say to my nine-year-old Doriane, but I think that it's important to follow what is inside your heart, and your gut."

Pin's outing with Mercedes made her the first F1 Academy champion to test an F1 car and the first woman to test a Mercedes F1 car.