Doriane Pin set for private Mercedes F1 test after simulator success

Mercedes preparing private F1 test for Doriane Pin

2025 F1 Academy champion Doriane Pin has revealed that Mercedes is planning to reward her progress with a private Formula 1 test.

"Yeah, he said it," Pin confirmed when asked about team principal Toto Wolff’s comments, speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast.

The opportunity represents a significant step in her development pathway with Mercedes, underlining the team’s confidence in her simulator performances.

"My target Is to go to Formula 1"

Pin made it clear that she is pushing for the opportunity and sees it as a crucial milestone in her long-term ambitions.

"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."

When asked whether she had already completed a seat fitting, she responded with a smile: "No, not yet."

Balancing Mercedes duties and endurance racing

Alongside her development driver role, Pin has returned to endurance racing. Before switching to single-seaters, she built a successful résumé in the discipline, competing in the LMP2 class with the Iron Dames project in 2022. In 2026, she steps up to the LMP2 Pro-Am category.

Should the planned Mercedes test go ahead, Pin would follow in the footsteps of recent female drivers to sample Formula 1 machinery. The last woman to take part in an F1 race weekend session was F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff, who drove in free practice for Williams in 2014. The most recent private F1 test by a woman was completed by Jessica Hawkins with Aston Martin in 2023.

For Pin, however, the focus remains firmly on preparation — and on proving she belongs at the highest level once the opportunity arrives.