Doriane Pin

Doriane Pin is a French racing driver who made history as the first woman to win the FIA WEC Revelation of the Year Award and went on to claim the 2025 F1 Academy championship after a dramatic pivot from endurance racing to single-seaters.

EARLY YEARS

Born January 6, 2004, in Paris, France, Doriane Pin’s path to motorsports remains largely undocumented in her earliest years. Unlike many racing prodigies whose karting debuts and childhood garage tinkering become legend, Pin’s pre-2020 story is a blank page—no family racing legacy to lean on, no wealthy sponsor parents pulled from the archives, no stories of a dad who owned a track or a mom who wrenched on engines. What we do know is that by 2020, at just sixteen, she was already behind the wheel in the Renault Clio Cup France, which suggests someone, somewhere, saw something worth betting on.

That first season with GPA Racing wasn’t a fireworks display—her best overall finish was ninth, though she nabbed second in the junior category—but it was a start. More importantly, it was a foundation in a country that has historically produced some of the sport’s finest talents, even if the infrastructure for women in racing has been less than welcoming. Paris may have been her birthplace, but the cockpit became her proving ground.[1]

OTHER INTERESTS

If Pin has hobbies, she’s keeping them to herself. No leaked Instagram stories of pottery classes, no interviews waxing poetic about her love of obscure French literature or extreme knitting. The public record is silent on what she does when she’s not strapped into a race car, which either means she’s incredibly private or—more likely—she’s too busy trying to break into one of the most competitive and historically male-dominated sports on the planet to develop a sourdough starter.

EARLY SUCCESS

Pin’s early career reads like someone testing the waters in multiple pools before diving in headfirst. After her Clio Cup debut, she shifted gears—literally—into endurance racing with Iron Lynx in 2021, competing in the Le Mans Cup GT3 series. She landed five podiums and finished fifth in the drivers’ standings, a solid showing for someone still in their teens. That same year, she joined the Iron Dames for three of four IMSA SportsCar Championship Endurance Cup races in the GTD class, getting a taste of American racing culture and proving she could adapt to different formats and continents.[1]

But 2022 was when Pin really announced herself. She won the Ferrari Challenge Europe title outright, claimed a class victory at the 24 Hours of Spa, and posted the best lap time averages in the IMSA GTD class at Petit Le Mans (even though her team finished three laps down, because endurance racing is cruel like that). The cherry on top? Becoming the first woman ever to win the FIA WEC Revelation of the Year Award, a recognition that carried weight far beyond the trophy itself.[1][3]

In 2023, she pivoted to Formula 4 in Southeast Asia, finishing as championship runner-up—a hint that single-seaters might be in her future. She dabbled in Formula 4 UAE in 2024, snagging one pole position and one victory across four rounds, but it was clear she was still figuring out where she fit best.[1]

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2021: Five podiums in Le Mans Cup GT3 with Iron Lynx, finishing fifth in the drivers’ standings[1].
• 2022: Ferrari Challenge Europe champion[1].
• 2022: Class victory at the 24 Hours of Spa[1].
• 2022: Best lap time averages in IMSA GTD class at Petit Le Mans[1].
• 2022: First woman to win the FIA WEC Revelation of the Year Award[1][3].
• 2023: Formula 4 South East Asia Championship runner-up[1].
• 2024: Second overall in F1 Academy with three wins (Jeddah Race 1, Zandvoort Race 2, Qatar) and five additional podiums, finishing 121 points behind champion Abbi Pulling[2].
• 2025: F1 Academy champion[1].
• 2025: Victory in the F1 Academy Las Vegas reverse-grid race in wet conditions, extending her championship lead to 20 points over Maya Weug[4].

INSPIRATIONS

Pin hasn’t publicly named her heroes, racing or otherwise. No interviews reveal which drivers she idolized growing up, which races made her fall in love with the sport, or which coach pulled her aside and told her she had what it takes. Whether that’s strategic media training or genuine privacy, it’s impossible to say. What’s clear is that her trajectory suggests she’s more focused on becoming someone else’s inspiration than talking about her own.

REPUTATION

Pin has earned the nickname “Pocket Rocket” for her speed and fearless driving, a moniker that neatly encapsulates both her stature and her impact on track. In the 2024 F1 Academy season, she finished in the top five in nearly every race, only dropping outside the top ten twice—a consistency that speaks to both skill and mental fortitude. Her reputation is built on outright pace, impressive overtakes, and the ability to stay composed in chaotic conditions, like her wet-weather win in Las Vegas that extended her 2025 championship lead.[2][3][4]

Media coverage has been overwhelmingly positive, framing her as a boundary-breaker and a rising star in the all-female F1 Academy series. The fact that she’s affiliated with the Mercedes Junior Team and Iron Dames—two programs known for nurturing talent—adds credibility to the hype. She’s regarded as one of the top talents in women’s racing, and her switch from endurance to single-seaters in 2024 was seen as both risky and savvy, a move that paid off with back-to-back strong F1 Academy campaigns.[2][3][6]

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Pin has been refreshingly candid about her ambitions, even if the path isn’t entirely clear. “Obviously, my ultimate goal is to reach Formula One one day,” she’s said. “But I know there is also quite a big opportunity in endurance racing and going to a manufacturer. And also, you know, maybe reach hypercar one day. So it’s also the top level of endurance.”[2]

It’s a pragmatic acknowledgment of the realities facing women in motorsports: Formula 1 remains the dream, but the doors are narrow and heavily guarded. Endurance racing, particularly hypercar programs with major manufacturers, offers a legitimate shot at the top tier of the sport without needing to navigate the labyrinthine politics of F1’s ladder series. As of 2025, she’s competing in the Formula Regional European Championship alongside her F1 Academy commitments, continuing to develop her single-seater skills under the Prema banner with backing from Mercedes.[1]

Whether Pin makes it to F1 or becomes a hypercar star—or both—remains to be seen. What’s certain is that she’s not waiting around for permission. She’s already made history once. She’ll likely do it again.

References:

Doriane Pin – Wikipedia
What’s Next for Doriane Pin? – The Paddock Chronicle
Meet Doriane Pin and Maya Weug – Formula1.com
F1 Academy: Doriane Pin – Racers Behind the Helmet
Designing Doriane Pin – Qualcomm Snapdragon