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Doriane Pin Becomes First Woman to Drive a Mercedes F1 Car in Silverstone Test

The private run under a previous-car program shows Mercedes converting F1 Academy progress into real laps.

Overview

  • Doriane Pin completed her first Formula 1 run on Friday at Silverstone, logging 76 laps and about 200 kilometers in Mercedes’ 2021 W12 on the National Circuit.
  • Mercedes shared video and photos from the session and said she is the first female driver to pilot a Mercedes F1 car.
  • Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin praised her preparation and said she looked at home from the first laps in the car.
  • Pin called the experience unreal and said the W12 felt far more powerful than anything she had driven, while noting she will continue in her role as a Mercedes development driver.
  • The outing was part of Mercedes’ Testing of Previous Cars program and followed her 2025 F1 Academy title and simulator work, as she also pursues an ELMS campaign and a Le Mans return that keep an F1 race seat uncertain for now.