Over her last race weekend at the Paul Ricard circuit, Females in Motorsport had the opportunity to talk with Doriane Pin, a rising star of French motorsport. The young driver is currently competing in Ferrari Challenge with Iron Dames, where she’s already shown some stunning and commanding performances.
Doriane caught the motorsport bug from her father, who competed in the French karting championship when he was younger. Her dad also works in the organisation of karting events, so she grew up in this world.
“I started karting thanks to my father,” she tells Females In Motorsport. “I asked to try a kart when I was nine-years-old and that's how I got started. I loved it straight away and began competing very quickly.”
Like her father, Doriane also went on to race in the French karting championship and, in 2019, the consecration comes when Doriane claimed the title.
Fresh off being crowned, she was selected for the first edition of the FIA Girls On Track - Rising Stars programme. This initiative, in partnership with the Scuderia Ferrari team and its Driver Academy, is a project aimed at identifying young female talent from around the world and help them reach a professional career in motorsport.
“FIA Women In Motorsport presented this selection on social media, and then I was selected among the top 20 in the world,” she says. “So that's how I got into this selection. After that there were several stages until the final.”
Throughout the programme, Doriane made a strong impression, particularly during the stage at the Paul Ricard circuit where she won the Pirelli Award for setting the fastest lap time. Her talent and speed sent her to the final at the renowned Maranello, in Italy.
“It was a great experience, where I learned and grew,” she says. “There were a lot of stages to pass, physical and mental tests that were done.”
Although Maya Weug was ultimately chosen as the winner of the programme, Doriane only took away the positive: “Even if I didn't win, I gained a lot from this experience and it opened many doors for me afterwards.”
One of these doors was that of the all-female powerhouse team, Iron Dames.
Born out of Deborah Mayer's desire to support women in motorsport, Iron Dames is an all-female team racing in some of the world's biggest championships (WEC, GT World Challenge Europe and Ferrari Challenge to name but a few).
“It’s an amazing concept, an amazing project to put women forward,” she says. “And it's a chance to compete at the top level.”
Doriane joined the team in 2021 to race in GT3 for the Michelin Le Mans Cup series, in which she came third.
“Not many people get that opportunity and I'm very grateful for that,” she says.
“I'm so happy to have met some great people too, because Iron Dames and Iron Lynx are incredible people.”
Indeed, Doriane is well surrounded in the Iron Dames where she works alongside Rahel Frey, Sarah Bovy and Michelle Gatting. The more experienced trio took the young driver under their wing.
“They are obviously more experienced so they always give interesting and good advice,” Doriane says. “When I made my debut in the Michelin Le Mans Cup last year in GT3, they gave me advice on the start, on tyre management, on traffic management and so on. It's a package, you have to be good at everything.
“It's certain that you learn faster thanks to them. To be surrounded by all these people, you understand things better which is really good.”
This season, Doriane has taken on a new endeavour in the form of the Ferrari Challenge and it started off strong and fast for the French driver. At the season-opener in Portimão, Portugal, she scored two pole positions and two wins (with some incredible lap times).
But, even though she currently leads the championship, Doriane is not losing concentration.
“The season is long, and we still have a lot of races left - we have to stay very focused and consistent throughout to win the championship,” she says. “We've had the pace since the beginning of the season and it's going well. I’m working very hard with the team to achieve great things and it’s coming together.”
The tone is evidently set, “the objective this year is to win the championship,” she says.
If all her attention is on winning the Ferrari Challenge, like any driver, Doriane is also thinking about her future.
“First we have a championship to win and then in the years to come, we’ll see what the opportunities are.”
For a talent such as hers, there are many possibilities. She made her World Endurance Championship debut at the 6 Hours of Spa, where she faced challenging conditions but managed to deliver a solid performance.
“I'd like to get to the top level of motorsport - whether it's endurance, in hypercars, or if I'm lucky enough to get into single-seaters and go to Formula 1 some day,” she says. “That's been my dream since I was a little girl, so obviously I have that in mind. But the goal is really to reach the highest level of motorsport.”
Doriane's passion for what she does is easily felt. When asked what is the best part of being a racing driver, she finds it impossible to choose just one thing.
“First of all, being in the car, you get so many sensations,” she says. “We drive cars that are incredible, it's just crazy and that's where you have the most fun.
“Then of course, everything around working, understanding what needs to be improved, trying to find the last few tenths that we are missing, understanding how the car works. And to share all this with passionate people. Ultimately, the whole thing is incredible.”
Doriane is next in action this weekend at the Hungaroring on June 17 - 19, for the third round of the Ferrari Challenge.