The Formula 1 edit

Article by Lara Murakami

An inspirational championship win from a strong woman in motorsport! After a riveting battle, Mercedes-backed driver Doriane Pin has been crowned champion of the third ever season of F1 Academy.  

For those unfamiliar with F1 Academy (which I admit being less well-versed in than F1), it is a fully female racing series that started in 2023, with the goal of progressing women ages 16-25 into higher levels of motorsport. 

The way the weekend runs is different from your typical Formula One weekend. There are one or two Free Practice Sessions lasting up to 40 minutes each, followed by one Qualifying session of only 30 minutes. Not just one, but two races occur each Academy weekend, with Race 1’s grid being set by reversing the top eight drivers in Qualifying, and Race 2 following standard format.

Since they use equal machinery, which is equivalent to F4 cars, the series has a special focus on driver skill. I, for one, think they should do this for a race in the main series, so we could truly see the skill of each driver in the same car. Who knows who might emerge on top, (though I wouldn’t be surprised to see the likes of the unstoppable Max Verstappen, the horribly unlucky Fernando Alonso, and similarly doomed Charles Leclerc do well in equal machinery).

Outside of providing thrilling on-track action, I think this series provides young women with insanely talented and hardworking role models to look up to. For instance, Susie Wolff (the other half of the Wolff POWER COUPLE), serves as the racing series’ Managing Director, meaning she guides the women throughout their journeys.

Doriane Pin has been a part of F1 Academy for two seasons, coming runner-up in 2024, and being supported by Mercedes and PREMA Racing. As for the matter of how this 2025 F1 Academy season has gone for Doriane, she has been extremely consistent, (just like a certain other Mercedes driver). Despite not scoring a single pole position, Doriane took 4 out of 14 wins across 7 weekends, and 8 podiums! 

Her closest title rival was Ferrari’s Maya Weug, who fought for a comeback throughout the season. The two were extremely close in points before Vegas, as well as Qualifying and Race head-to-heads. Unfortunately for her title hopes, Maya crashed out on the formation lap in Vegas Race 1, with Doriane taking the win of the race, leaving the French driver with a comfortable lead in the championship ahead of Race 2.

Speaking to the media, Doriane illustrated her rivalry with Maya as “a close battle” that she “actually enjoyed a lot, because you need those drivers to push you and push each other to the top.” 

As expected, Doriane secured the title during Race 2, which was won by Red Bull’s Chloe Chambers, on home soil! Doriane was euphoric during celebrations of her victory, and deservedly so.  She praised Mercedes’ incredible support, stressing the importance of their professionalism and experience in shaping her success.

She was enthusiastically embraced by Susie Wolff, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff, and F1 big brother-little brother pairing George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. Doriane described being “really proud of all the work [the team] have done since last year,” saying “champion is a beautiful word to really fit [their] season.” 

So, who is our new F1 Academy champion, and what is her story?

Born in 2004, Doriane Pin is nicknamed the “Pocket Rocket” for her smaller stature coupled with explosive speed.  In fact, she had to delay her start in karting because she was deemed “too short” to start at the normal age of 6 years old. However, that didn’t stop her from watching races on the local karting circuit, where her dad would organize 24-hour karting events.

Growing up, Doriane was inspired by watching Red Bull champion Sebastian Vettel and the incredible Lewis Hamilton.  When she did join karting in 2013, at the age of 9 and a half, she immediately fell in love with it. She has described being in love with the speed and the adrenaline; “the vibration, the noise, the smell.”

Doriane also made connections with drivers currently on the Formula 1 grid during her childhood, including Isack Hadjar and Esteban Ocon. Her and Isack form a very adorable duo, and the fur coat Esteban is wearing is killing me it’s so funny.

Doriane earned her way into racing success through sponsorship from her dad’s friends, who were touched by her passion for racing. A very significant event in her life was winning the 2019 French Karting Championship. If she had not had the support of her family that day, both mechanically and emotionally, she claims she would not have her career at all. 

Winning that championship brought her more racing opportunities, including from the Iron Dames. Doriane seized the opportunity the all-female team gave her by performing so well in their testing that she secured a full-time racing program. She started excelling in competitions during 2021 and 2022, winning the 2022 Ferrari Challenge Europe Championship, as well as her class in the 4 hours of Portimão Endurance race.  

In 2023, she continued her endurance racing, but her goal was still single seaters when Mercedes invited her to join their Junior Programme and represent them in F1 Academy.

After being vice champion in 2024,  we come back around to where we are now in Doriane’s journey, seeing her crowned as champion of the world in Formula One Academy. She has worked incredibly hard to get where she is today, proving through her fiery determination and consistent skill why the “Pocket Rocket” deserves this title.