Doriane Pin has reached a major milestone in her career: the Frenchwoman officially took the wheel of a Mercedes W12 this Saturday, as part of a test session organized by Mercedes AMG.
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A direct realization of the commitments made at the start of the season after her convincing simulator performances, according to the team, which is naturally something to be pleased about.
But beyond the publicity stunt, and besides improving her simulator feel, what is really the purpose of the maneuver? Can the smiling “Pocket Rocket” (Doriane’s friendly internal nickname) really dream of F1?
Glass Ceiling
Integrated into the Mercedes academy since 2023 under the supervision of Gwen Lagrue, Pin structured her single-seater progression with a season in the Formula Regional European Championship for Prema without making an impression (zero points in 23 starts), then two campaigns in F1 Academy, the 100% female competition as a curtain-raiser for Grand Prix weekends, concluded with a title in 2025.
This lack of results in FRECA, the only competition where she competed against male opponents, speaks volumes about the real potential of female drivers at this level, a finding already made for Jamie Chadwick, triple W-Series champion who then remained sidelined despite an opportunity in IndyNXT with top team Andretti.
In parallel, fortunately, Pin maintains an endurance program with Duqueine in the European Le Mans Series this season, where she has already secured a podium at the opening meeting in Barcelona, a championship where Chadwick also races in LMP2 after having to settle for a reserve seat at Genesis, the new Korean manufacturer involved in WEC.
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This first F1 test therefore marks a concrete transition between development work and real experience. The choice of the W12 — a single-seater from a recent generation — is not insignificant: it allows her to evaluate her abilities in a car with high aerodynamic load and high physical demands, while remaining within the regulatory framework of private tests.
In the Footsteps of Susie Wolff?
The decision was validated by Toto Wolff and the Brackley team, who had hinted at it via a teaser communication before official confirmation. For Mercedes, it’s about both rewarding her performance and evaluating her potential in near-real conditions.
With this test, Doriane Pin becomes the sixth woman to drive a Formula 1 car in tests since the 2000s, joining a list that includes notably Susie Wolff with Williams (the only one to have appeared during a Grand Prix weekend), the late Maria de Villota in a Marussia, Jessica Hawkins for Aston Martin or even Simona de Silvestro at Sauber, who shone in IndyCar unlike Tatiana Cameron, seen in an Alfa Romeo F1 car.
Beyond the symbolism, this test session is above all a key milestone: it will allow for measuring her adaptability to a real F1 car, in terms of managing aerodynamic loads, procedures and technical feedback, all crucial elements for considering a trajectory towards an expanded role in the medium term.
But to hope to one day drive the real Formula 1 car of the year in an official session, she will still have to pass the super license hurdle, an insurmountable obstacle if one does not achieve significant performances in mixed competitions, which is far from guaranteed… Good luck, Pocket Rocket!