The F1 Academy season is officially underway, with the Qualifying session in Jeddah complete. Mercedes junior driver Doriane Pin has become all the rage in the sport owing to a dominant outing during the session. The French driver was able to secure a double in the season opener, owing to some remarkable driving. Upon securing the result, Pin did a celebration similar to that of former F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel. X user ‘Cols’ quoted her Canal+ interview as she explained the reason behind her celebration.
“He’s the inspiration behind it. Vettel’s F1 titles are my favorite F1 moment. He’s a legend of the sport with an impressive legacy. I hope to also have such an impact if I race in Formula 1.”, said Pin.
Pin was a step ahead of her competition as soon as she took to the track. Her first flying lap in the Qualifying session had her sitting at the top. From there on, Pin only got better. However, the signs of her dominance were already there. She was the fastest driver in the practice session, securing a best lap time of 2:04.889.
Once Qualifying began, Pin improved her performance and ran away with the times. With a time of 2:03.472 in Q1, Pin was 0.7 seconds ahead of P2 finisher Abbi Pulling.
welcome back sebastian vettel pic.twitter.com/QVQ43p2vxF
— جيمي jimi (@jimi_qtz) March 7, 2024
The second Qualifying session brought similar success for Pin. With a time of 2:03.699, Pin was 0.6 seconds clear of P2. Furthermore, Pin was over 1 second faster than P3 finisher Maya Weug on both occasions.
Given the same, chances are that Pin will be able to dominate the race and win with ease. Should she win the race in Jeddah, it will be Pin’s first race win in F1 Academy, but by no means is Pin a stranger to winning races and titles.
Doriane Pin hoping to make it big in F1 as well
Supported by Mercedes in the F1 Academy, Doriane Pin is amongst the series’ most exciting prospects. The 20-year-old Frenchwoman has already become a celebrated driver, having won multiple titles in her short career. Her career began in 2016 as a Karting driver when she was only 12. Following her win in the 2019 French championship female category, Pin graduated to the Le Mans Cup.
The up-and-coming driver secured five podiums in the series in 2021, adding to her accolades. As the year changed, her CV kept improving. She dominated the 2022 Ferrari Challenge Europe, winning 9 out of 14 races on her way to becoming the champion.
Just making sure #F1Academy pic.twitter.com/mVyNokuH3y
— PIN DORIANE (@DorianePin) March 7, 2024
Apart from that, Pin won the 24 Hours of Spa. She also made history by winning the GTE-AM class at the European Le Mans Series season finale in 2022. Moving over to the endurance discipline, Pin’s linkage with winning did not stop. She became the first-ever female driver to win the ‘Revelation of the Year’ award.
Following the award, Pin got her first single-seater racing experience. She finished 2nd with one win in the Formula 4 South East Asia Championship. Now, she has also won her first-ever F1 Academy race in Jeddah on her debut. Pin won the 1st race of the weekend ahead of Abbi Pulling who gave her a tough fight for the top spot.
