Formula 1 Academy winner and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 development driver, Doriane Pin, became the fifth woman to test a modern F1 car on Friday.
The test, which took place at Silverstone Circuit in England, had Pin drive 76 laps in the Mercedes W12 from their 2021 constructors’ championship.
Those 76 laps covered 124.6 miles across the National Circuit layout of Silverstone.
Pin joined F1 Academy’s Managing Director and retired race car driver, Susie Wolff, Formula Series driver María de Villota, former IndyCar driver and 2026 Olympian in bobsledding, Simona de Silvestro and British racing driver and stunt driver, Jessica Hawkins, as the only women to drive a modern F1 car.
In 2012, Maria de Villota became the first woman to test a modern F1 car and the first woman since Katherine Legge in 2005 to test an F1 car.
De Villota took part in the test with Minardi at Duxford Aerodrome on July 3, 2012. During the straight-line test, the stopping procedure was not discussed with de Villota, who ended up driving into a support lorry, which had its tail-lift at eye-level of de Villota.
De Villota lost an eye during that crash and would tragically pass away a year later due to the neurological damage received during the crash.
In April 2014, now Olympic bobsledder, De Silvestro took part in a test with Sauber on Ferrari’s Fiorano circuit in Italy.
De Silvestro drove 112 laps in their 2012 Sauber C31 while being looked at for a potential F1 seat in 2015.
That would be de Silvestro’s only F1 test though, as contract disputes prevented her from any more testing, and she would join Formula E for the following season.
In July 2014, Wolff became the first women in 22 years to take part in a Formula One race weekend in the first practice session at the British Grand Prix, also at Silverstone.
Wolff’s test with Williams F1 was cut short after 24 minutes due to an oil pressure failure. In those 24 minutes, Wolff finished twenty-first out of the 22 drivers that took a lap during the session but due to the oil pressure failure Wolff only got four laps on track.
Wolff went on to become William’s test driver in 2015, which included two more appearances in an F1 race weekend. The first at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain and the second coming at Silverstone in England.
The final woman to test drive a modern F1 car is Hawkins who tested for Aston Martin in September 2023.
Hawkins was a W Series (now F1 Academy) podium finisher and British Karting Champion in her time racing.
During the day Hawkins completed 23 laps after the first part of the test was delayed due to heavy rain.
Hawkins now helps develop Aston Martin’s F1 Academy entry.
All these women have been very successful in their racing career. With the up-and coming talents of Abbi Pulling, Nina Gademan and Aurelia Nobles, another F1 test by a woman is surely to come and a woman driver in F1, may not be far behind either.