The next woman in the cockpit of a Formula 1 car is ready: Doriane Pin will test for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. The Frenchwoman secured the title in the F1 Academy junior series in 2025 and is now taking the next step towards the premier class.
The F1 Academy will start its fourth season in 2026. A total of 17 female drivers will compete in the series, whose goal is to specifically prepare female talent for the jump to Formula 1.
A look back shows how rarely women have been represented in Formula 1 so far: Most recently, Susie Wolff completed practice sessions for Williams Racing during a Grand Prix weekend in 2014. The last participation in a qualifying session dates back to 1992, when Giovanna Amati competed for Brabham in Brazil but failed to qualify.
A woman's last Grand Prix start dates back even further: Lella Lombardi raced in Austria in 1976 and remains the only woman to have scored points in the Formula 1 World Championship to this day. Also worth mentioning is Desiré Wilson, who started in Kyalami in 1980 – albeit outside the official World Championship.
In the recent past, Jessica Hawkins collected test kilometers for Aston Martin F1 Team in 2023.
Now Doriane Pin is coming into focus: In the podcast „Beyond the Grid,“ she confirmed that she will drive a Formula 1 car from Mercedes in 2026. Team principal Toto Wolff gave the green light for a private test after successful simulator runs. However, an exact date has not yet been set, nor has a seat been adapted.
In parallel, Pin will also be active in endurance racing in 2026: She will compete in the LMP2 Pro-Am class of the European Le Mans Series for Team Duqueine.
Women in Formula 1 – an overview
- Maria Teresa de Filippis – 3 Starts (Best result: 10th place, Belgium 1958)
- Lella Lombardi – 12 Starts (6th Place, Spain 1975)
- Divina Galica - no starts (multiple non-qualifications)
- Desiré Wilson – no World Championship starts
- Giovanna Amati – no starts
- Sarah Fisher - no starts (demonstration lap only)
- Katherine Legge – Test Drives
- María de Villota – Tests and Demo Runs
- Susie Wolff – Training and Tests
- Simona de Silvestro – Test Drives
- Carmen Jordá – Development Driver
- Tatiana Calderón – Test Drives
- Jessica Hawkins – Test 2023
- Doriane Pin - Planned Test 2026