France’s Pin becomes first woman to drive a Mercedes F1 car

PARIS (Agencies): French driver Doriane Pin, winner of last year’s all-female F1 Academy series, has become the first woman to drive a Mercedes Formula One car. The 22-year-old development driver completed 76 laps of Silverstone’s National Circuit on Friday, a total of 200km, in the W12 car that Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas drove to the 2021 constructors’ title. Pin is also the first Frenchwoman ⁠to drive a modern F1 car and one of few women to do so in a series that has not had a female driver start a grand prix in nearly 50 years. “It was a unique opportunity and I made sure to enjoy my day to the fullest, along with doing the best job I could,” she said. “Whilst being a ⁠female driver doesn’t define me, it was great to show what we can do.” Mercedes’s driver development advisor Gwen Lagrue, a Frenchman, said the team were proud of the milestone. “I am sure we ⁠will see a woman driving in F1 in the coming years and as a team we would be incredibly proud if we ⁠were to achieve that goal with someone in our team,” he added. “Doriane can certainly act as an inspiration for ⁠those following in her wheel tracks as she continues her career and role as development driver with our team.”