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History was in the making today at Silverstone, where F1 Academy champion Dorian Pin became the first female driver to ever test a Mercedes F1 car.
The 22-year-old French woman was screaming down Hanger Straight at the wheel of the Brackley squad’s 2021 championship winning W12 for what was anything but a routine outing.
Pin’s journey to her landmark moment has been relentless. After a stellar 2024 debut in single-seaters and a dominant title run last year, she has stepped into a vital role as a Mercedes F1 development driver.
While she’s already been putting in the hours alongside Frederik Vesti in the simulator, Saturday’s test marked her long-awaited transition from pixels to high-downforce reality.
Mercedes’ regular chargers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, were both present at Silverstone to help guide Pin through a baptism of fire that she’ll likely never forget.
Even with a packed schedule this year that includes a return to the Le Mans 24 Hours and a full-time campaign in the European Le Mans Series, Pin’s ultimate goal remains unchanged: landing a seat among motorsport’s elite.
For Mercedes, Saturday’s test was both a reward and an investment. For Pin, it’s validation – and a glimpse of what could lie ahead.
