Doriane Pin has been appointed a development driver at the Mercedes Formula 1 team. The Silberpfeile announced it on Wednesday. The 22-year-old Française won last year’s F1 Academy title for the German outfit; in the season finale in Las Vegas she beat her title rival, the Dutch driver Maya Weug. As a development driver, Pin will be closely involved in Mercedes’ Formula 1 programme.
Doriane Pin, who claimed the title in her second F1 Academy season, will support Mercedes with simulator duties and will be present at several Grands Prix throughout the year. She will work alongside the team’s race drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. In addition, Pin will take on a mentoring role for the new Mercedes driver in the F1 Academy, who will follow her this season.
‘Proud and grateful’
“I am very proud and grateful to take on the role of development driver within the Mercedes team,” Pin said, clearly pleased. “My two years in the junior programme have helped me grow as a driver, and this is a fantastic next step in my career. I look forward to continuing to work with everyone in Brackley and Brixworth and to seizing new opportunities, both on and off track.”
The addition of the young driver to Mercedes’ development programme is a natural progression from her previous work within the team. Pin has already operated in the Mercedes simulator and left a strong impression. There is still some uncertainty around the rest of her racing programme. Mercedes has said Pin’s 2026 programme will be announced shortly. All signs, however, point to the Française refocusing on endurance racing — a category where she posted major successes before switching to single-seaters in 2024.
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