Doriane Pin joins Citroën as Formula E development driver ahead of Gen4 era

F1 Academy champion Doriane Pin has been confirmed as an official development driver for the Citroën Formula E team, marking a significant step in both her own career trajectory and Formula E's ongoing push to place talented female drivers at the heart of the championship.

From F1 Academy to Formula E's Front Line

Her trajectory towards the grid looks increasingly credible. She is highly likely to appear at the official pre-season test at Jarama in November, where Formula E intends to stage a third edition of its all-female test sessions — an initiative that has already begun to bear real fruit in terms of driver placements within teams.

Pin won the F1 Academy title last year driving a Prema Racing-run Mercedes entry, and last month made her F1 car testing debut at Silverstone — a milestone that underlined the scale of the investment being made in her development.

Stellantis and Mercedes: A Powerful Web of Connections

Stelantis has been investing heavily in its driver roster over the past twelve months. Nick Cassidy and Théo Pourchaire have both signed long-term deals, while Formula E title contender Mitch Evans is also understood to have completed an agreement to race for Opel across several seasons — with formal confirmation of that deal expected at the end of the current campaign.

The technical architecture underpinning all of this is noteworthy. Stellantis is working with the UK-based Mercedes High Performance Powertrains division on the Gen4 project, with that entity set to provide specific motor components for both the Citroën and Opel entries next season. It is a partnership that adds layers to the already-interlocking relationships between these programmes.

Cassidy works as an occasional F1 simulator driver for Mercedes, while Pourchaire operates as a full-time simulator driver for the Brackley squad. Pin, meanwhile, has been part of the Mercedes ecosystem since her two seasons in F1 Academy. As Formula E's Gen4 car continues to generate discussion across the paddock, Pin's role places her at the very centre of its development story.

Formula E's Female Push Gains Real Traction

When Jeff Dodds took over as CEO of Formula E in June 2023, fostering meaningful opportunities for talented female drivers was among the stated priorities of his tenure. The results are increasingly tangible.

Of the 19 drivers who featured on the first all-female test entry list at Jarama in November 2024, six have since secured roles at teams: Alice Powell at Envision; Bianca Bustamante at Cupra Kiro; Sophia Floersch at Opel; Abbi Pulling at Nissan; Nerea Martí at Andretti; and Gabriela Jilková at Porsche. While some of those relationships pre-dated the test, the platform Formula E built around that event has undeniably helped to solidify them.

With Pin now joining that group as a dedicated, active development driver, Dodds' longer-term ambition — to add a new female name to the likes of Katherine Legge, Simona de Silvestro and Michaela Cerruti, who all raced in the Gen1 era — feels closer to reality than it has in years.

"Seeing Doriane join the likes of Abbi Pulling, Juju Noda, Nerea Martí and Bianca Bustamante in regular roles with teams shows that Formula E has become the genuine destination for the best female talent in world championship-level motorsport," Dodds told The Race upon Pin's recruitment to Stellantis's roster. "By putting her at the heart of Gen4 development, Citroën is giving Doriane a real seat at the table to shape the future of our technology and make a real impact on team performance."

A Genuine Path to the Grid

What makes Pin's situation particularly compelling is not just the promotional framing around it. Stellantis is understood to genuinely believe in her ability to contribute behind the scenes — a distinction that separates her from drivers who are placed into development programmes primarily for optics.

Her next step is expected to be attendance at races in an official reserve driver capacity, something believed to be a realistic prospect from the 2026-27 season onward.

Dodds, not always immune to hyperbole in his promotion of the championship, is arguably on solid ground when he asserts that Formula E is "breaking down those old barriers and showing that if you have the pace, this is the championship where you'll get the tools to prove it."

For Pin, the pace has never been in serious doubt. The opportunity to prove it at the highest level of electric racing now looks within genuine reach.

"Doriane is a fantastic addition to the Citroën team and I'm excited to see the contribution she makes," Dodds added.