Following a highly successful World Endurance Campaign, Doriane Pin made the switch to single seater racing to finish the year with a partial campaign in F4 South East Asia Championship. 2 rounds and 6 races later, Pin finished 2nd in the overall standings with points in all races and 4 podiums including a win.
At 19, Doriane Pin is already a prominent name in motorsport. The French teenager dominated the Ferrari Challenge Europe in 2022 taking to the top step of the podium in 9 of the 14 races and rounding out the season with a further 4 podium finishes. Her following racing in Endurance series were equally successful. Jumping into the Iron Lynx team midway through the European Le Mans series, Pin helped the all-female team to a 2nd place finish in Spa and a win in Portimão. Most recently, Pin partnered with the Prema team in the World Endurance Championship in the LMP2 category. Pin’s performance across the season led to her winning the WEC Revelation of the Year recognising her exceptional performance as a newcomer.
Pin’s post karting career has been primarily focused on sportscar racing with the F4 South East Asia Championship marking her debut entry into single seater racing. Prior to her entry, Pin’s experience in this category was limited having tested single seater machinery on a handful of occasions. The F4 South East Asia series consisted of 3 rounds of 3 races and a non-championship event in Macau. Pin entered for the final 2 rounds which both took place at the Sepang International Circuit.
Pin made a strong start to her debut single seater campaign, taking 8th in qualifying with good pace. She was 1.058 seconds off pole which was achieved by experienced racer Hadrien David who dominated the weekend. Pin spent most of race 1 in 7th position but lost 3 positions within the final 3 laps to finish in 10th despite having withstood pressure from 8th place Liu Kaishun for multiple laps. A 10th place finish meant she secured her first point in the championship and would line up 1st on the grid for race 2 due to the partial reverse grid format.
As race 2 began, Pin remained composed at the front of the pack leading for over half the race. Race 1 winner Hadrien David had started in 10th and had quickly cut through the pack to reach 2nd place within 2 laps of the 12 lap race. Despite this, Pin kept her lead, setting the fastest lap and extending her lead to 6 seconds. With David under pressure from 3rd place Enzo Yeh, Pin looked to be maintaining the lead until a mid race safety car closed the pack up following a crash. With renewed pressure, Pin made a strong effort but was unable to hold on to the lead, losing position on lap 8 and dropping to 3rd in a single sector. However, Pin’s effort was still rewarded, securing the final step on the podium in just her second single seater race.
Pin finished the weekend having made great steps forward. In the qualifying for race 3, Pin improved on her first qualifying to take 4th place on the grid and closing the gap to polesitter David to 0.955 seconds. A race finish of 6th secured further points, setting Pin up well for the final round of the season.
As Round 3 got underway, Pin improved further on her qualifying form to take 3rd position for the opening race of the weekend. As race 1 began, polesitter Kean Nakumura stalled forcing Pin to take avoiding action but also promoting her into 2nd place. The place was toughly contended between Pin and champion-elect Jack Beeton as the Australian took advantage of Pin running slightly wide to overtake. Pin maintained pressure following a safety car but was unable to get back past and had to settle for another third place.
The reverse grid for race 2 left Pin starting 8th. Pin got away cleanly and was holding position before a collision took place in front of her forcing a quick reaction. Pin’s reaction allowed her to gain position to run in 4th as the safety car came out. Contact between Peter Bouzinelos and Kevin Xiao meant the two drivers who had been running in 1st and 2nd dropped back through the field. As the safety car came out once again, Pin planned for an attack on Nicolas Stati following the safety car but was unable to execute it as Stati defended well. A chaotic race brought out the safety car once again leaving Pin unable to improve on the 2nd place she was running in as the race ended under safety car.
A final qualifying session saw Pin match her previous best of 3rd position as Prema achieved a top 3 lock out. As the race began, Pin and her teammates fought out for the top position until the battle had to be halted for a safety car. A good restart from Pin allowed her to reach 2nd before she demonstrated her raw speed on the straight to get the overtake for 1st done on the straight. With clean air, Pin began to break away. Gradually growing her lead, Pin ended the race 5.3 seconds ahead of second place to take her first single seater win in only her 6th ever race.
Pin’s performance not only took her to P2 in the overall standings but also secured her the rookie championship despite missing the first round of races. Pin’s next steps for 2024 are unknown having shown promise in both endurance racing and now single seater as well. Rumours remain of a double programme for next year while others have tipped Pin for participation in the F1 Academy. One thing remains certain though: wherever Pin goes next, she’ll be one to watch.
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