Doriane Pin realizes her dream: on the track at Silverstone with Hamilton’s W12

A special Friday the 17th Friday the 17th may be a date considered unlucky for some, but certainly – after what happened yesterday – not for Doriane Pin. The talented 22-year-old French driver, who grew up in the Mercedes academy and triumphed last year in the F1 Academy championship, was in fact able to realize her lifelong dream on Friday 17th: driving a Formula 1 car at Silverstone. Mercedes in fact organized a private test for Pin in which the young transalpine got behind the wheel of the W12 used in the 2021 season by Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. A special car, the last of that generation of cars and above all the last – so far – to have brought Mercedes to the top of the world in the Manufacturers’ ranking. This is obviously also the car with which Lewis Hamilton came close to winning his eighth Drivers’ title, which only vanished on the infamous last lap of the Abu Dhabi GP. First woman ever in Mercedes “Today is a truly special day – commented Pin, in a video released today on social media by the Mercedes team and recorded immediately before the start of the test – I will be driving a Formula 1 car for the first time at Silverstone and I can’t wait. It will be an important day, something I have dreamed of for a very long time. I will enjoy every second and take this opportunity to grow and continue to improve, enjoying driving a Formula 1 car. I will keep you updated on how it goes and how special it is this day.” The ‘behind the scenes’ of this day was also filmed by the cameras of French TV Canal+, which will broadcast a dedicated special during the Miami GP weekend. Congratulations also arrived for Pin, via video message, from the head of the F1 Academy championship, Susie Wolff. Furthermore, the partner of the Mercedes team principal knows well the sensations experienced by Pin, given that she herself has carried out tests behind the wheel of F1 cars in the past, also taking part in four FP1 sessions during the weekends of some GPs between 2014 and 2015 with Williams. With yesterday’s test, Pin also became the first woman ever to have driven a Mercedes F1.