Doriane Pin’s First F1 Test: Mercedes W12 at Silverstone

Doriane Pin’s first Formula 1 test with Mercedes at Silverstone on April 17 was more than a milestone. The 2025 F1 Academy champion stepped into the W12 for 76 laps of the National Circuit, covering 200 kilometres in a full-day programme that marked a significant step in her development

Key Points: Doriane Pin F1 Test

• Pin completed 76 laps of the 2.639 km Silverstone National Circuit, totalling 200 km.
• She drove the W12 E Performance, Mercedes’ 2021 Constructors’ Championship-winning car.
• First woman, and first Frenchwoman, to drive modern Mercedes F1 machinery.
• Extensive simulator preparation formed the backbone of the test programme.
• Continues in her Development Driver role, including mentoring Payton Westcott.

76 Laps in the W12

Pin, a Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Development Driver, built her day progressively at Silverstone. The focus was not just mileage, but process. Systems, procedures, feedback. Everything that comes with stepping into a Formula 1 car for the first time.

The 22-year-old completed 76 laps across the day, totalling 200 kilometres. Preparation came through simulator work alongside engineers, building an understanding of how the W12 operates and what it demands from a driver.

This was not a simple run programme. It was structured. Measured. Built to reflect how a development driver integrates into an F1 environment.

Pin’s Reaction

Pin described the experience as emotional but stayed grounded in how she approached it. Driving an F1 car for the first time was “unreal,” but her focus remained on executing the job properly.

She spoke about the difference in performance compared to other machinery. Everything bigger. More powerful. Less forgiving. Confidence came lap by lap as she adapted to the car and built trust in it.

She also made clear that being a female driver does not define her, while recognising the significance of the moment. Sharing the day with her family added to it.

Team Verdict

Andrew Shovlin pointed to preparation as the standout. From the first laps, Pin looked comfortable, and importantly, was able to run the car at the limit. That framing matters. It positions the test not just as experience, but as performance within a high-level environment.

Gwen Lagrue focused on the broader significance. Beyond the individual milestone, it reflects a wider push to create credible pathways. His view was clear. A woman racing in Formula 1 is not a question of if, but when.

What Comes Next

Pin continues in her Development Driver role. Simulator work remains central alongside factory integration and trackside appearances at selected Grands Prix. She will also support and mentor Payton Westcott as part of Mercedes’ junior structure.

This test is not an isolated moment. It is part of a longer development process.

The Coffee Corner Take

This is what the F1 Academy pathway is supposed to deliver. A champion earns a development role, puts in the work behind the scenes, and is given a genuine opportunity to drive a Formula 1 car. The structure is straightforward. The difference is seeing it carried through.

The last comparable moment came in 2023 when Jessica Hawkins drove Aston Martin’s 2021 car in Hungary. That outing, which totalled 26 laps, was an important step in its own right. Pin’s 76 laps at Silverstone, however, came within a full-day programme built around preparation, feedback, and progression. This was a proper TPC test, not a press exercise or symbolic gesture.

The W12 is not current machinery, but it carries real weight. This is the car that secured Mercedes’ 2021 Constructors’ Championship. The eighth in a row. The same car that took Lewis Hamilton into a title fight that went to the final race. It sits at the end of that dominant Mercedes run.

Driving a car like that means stepping into something built to win championships. The performance is immediate, the operating window is narrow, and it demands precision from the first lap. Completing 76 laps in that environment, even on the National layout, tells you how quickly a driver adapts.

The headline will focus on the milestone aspect of the test. That matters. The more relevant point is that this is one of the clearest examples so far of the F1 Academy ladder translating into genuine Formula 1 track time, backed by a structured programme.

There is still a long way to go from here. What this shows is that the pathway is starting to produce something real, not just something talked about.

Because this was more than just another test. It matters. And for the next generation, it shows that starting in a kart can lead all the way to a Formula 1 car at Silverstone.