Doriane Pin joins Mercedes' junior programme as she enters F1 Academy

Mercedes have confirmed that Doriane Pin has joined their Junior Programme for the 2024 season and will represent them in F1 Academy, with the support of Prema Racing.

Doriane has made her mark in endurance racing in recent years.The Parisian is a member of the ground-breaking Iron Dames project, the pioneering platform committed to promoting and supporting women in motorsport.

“I am incredibly happy to join the Mercedes Junior Programme and to represent the team in F1 Academy this year with Prema Racing,” she said.

“A new chapter begins, and I am proud to make this next step in such a prestigious team and with the Iron Dames project. I am grateful for their trust and honoured to race for their colours.

“Moving into single-seaters was a clear objective for my career, and to be in this environment is a great approach. I am working very hard to reach the top level of this sport and I cannot wait to go racing.”

After winning the 2019 French Championship, Doriane graduated from karting and gained the support of the Iron Dames. She scored five podiums in the 2021 Le Mans Cup before a breakthrough year in 2022 saw the then teenager become Ferrari Challenge Europe champion, winning nine out of 14 races.

She also claimed victory at the prestigious 24 Hours of Spa and took a historic win at the European Le Mans Series season-finale in the GTE-AM class.

This success led to a move into the FIA World Endurance Championship for 2023, competing in the LMP2 category alongside Mirko Bortolotti, and former F1 driver Daniil Kvyat. The crew claimed a podium at the season-opening race and Doriane went on to become the first woman to win the coveted ‘Revelation of the Year’ Award.

She ended the year by getting her first racing experiencing in single-seaters, finishing second overall and claiming a race win in the Formula 4 South East Asia Championship.

Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team said: "Doriane is an exciting talent and we're pleased to begin our participation in F1 Academy with her as our chosen driver.

“We have kept a close eye on her development in recent years as she has consistently impressed. The fantastic support of Deborah Mayer and the Iron Dames organisation has enabled her to display her abilities to this point; she has taken full advantage of that opportunity with determination and skill. We now look forward to working in conjunction with Iron Dames, Prema Racing, and F1 Academy, to support Doriane as she takes the next step in her career."

Gwen Lagrue, Driver Development Advisor for Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, added: “We’re delighted to have Doriane join our junior programme.

“She is an incredibly exciting talent; her results in endurance racing highlight the promise she has and her first few races in single-seaters have been extremely encouraging.

“We are looking forward to working with her this year and not only helping her growth as a driver but competing at the sharp end in F1 Academy. We fully believe she is capable of fighting for the title this year and going on to further success in the single-seater pyramid.”