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Doriane Pin’s F1 dream takes a big leap as Mercedes line up a private test for her, after the Frenchwoman eraned Toto Wolff’s stamp of approval.
Mercedes’ Doriane Pin alongside George Russell (X/MercedesAMGF1)
The road to Formula 1 is brutal (so, let’s not get ahead of ourselves), but Doriane Pin is doing exactly what a future contender should be doing.
Fresh off her 2025 F1 Academy title, the Mercedes development driver has now revealed that Toto Wolff and his team are preparing to give her a private F1 test.
Pin confirmed the plan on the Beyond The Grid podcast, explaining that her performances in the simulator exceeded expectations.
“Yeah, he (Toto Wolff) said it,” Pin confirmed.
“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.
That jump, from simulator to real machinery, isn’t handed out lightly. It’s a clear signal that Mercedes see genuine potential.
Still, context matters.
Women breaking into F1 remains one of motorsport’s toughest barriers. The last woman to feature in a race weekend was Susie Wolff in 2014, while Jessica Hawkins made headlines with a private test for Aston Martin in 2023.
Pin, who was backed by the Brackley outfit throughout her campaign in the all-female racing series, signed with Mercedes in 2026.
And now, the Frenchwoman is aiming to go further than those before her — and she’s not rushing it blindly.
“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,” Pin said.
“So I will make sure that I’m fully ready before jumping in the car in real life.”
The upcoming test won’t guarantee an F1 seat, but it will answer the one question that matters most — to Mercedes and herself: Does she belong in that cockpit?
For now, she’s closer than most.
April 12, 2026, 10:13 IST
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