Dec.17 (GMM) Newly crowned F1 Academy champion Doriane Pin has revealed she is already working in Mercedes’ Formula 1 simulator and says a first on-track F1 test could follow.
Speaking to Canal Plus after securing the 2025 F1 Academy title at her second attempt, the 21-year-old Frenchwoman confirmed her integration at Brackley is accelerating.
“I started the F1 simulator last week and if all goes well, there will be a test scheduled,” Pin revealed.
Backed by Mercedes and racing for Prema, Pin wrapped up the F1 Academy season 15 points clear of Ferrari junior Maya Weug after a year of striking consistency, with four wins, eight podiums and no finish lower than sixth.
Pin has never hidden her ambition beyond the all-female series.
“My dream has always been to race single-seaters and one day reach F1,” she said. “I believe in it. And when you believe in something, you can move mountains. Besides, I’ve shown that I have potential.”
Asked about the wider significance of her progress, Pin pointed to the absence of role models in modern Formula 1.
“I think a lot of people say it’s impossible because they haven’t seen a woman in F1 for years and there’s no role model, in fact,” she said.
While an F1 test could be on the horizon, Pin stressed that her 2026 program is still being finalised. Endurance racing is currently the leading option.
“We are still in discussions for 2026,” she explained. “We are going to focus more on Endurance racing with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the Hypercar as a short-term project. Nothing is set in stone, but that’s the plan.”
Pin has previously said she hopes to have her next step confirmed before Christmas, with Mercedes weighing multiple pathways as she targets what she has described as her “final destination” – Formula 1.