Interview
Pin reflects on her 'amazing' masterclass victory in Lusail
Doriane Pin has remained a force to be reckoned with in Lusail this weekend and the Mercedes driver believes that her performance on Saturday was "one of the best races of the season".
Not only did the Mercedes driver top both Free Practice sessions, she also wrapped up the two pole positions on offer. On Saturday night, she defended first place from both Maya Weug and Abbi Pulling with the trio coming super close to one another when the lights went out and secured victory with the second-largest winning margin of the 2024 season in Race 1.
“Amazing race,” Pin exclaimed after taking the chequered flag by over 6.7 seconds to second-placed Pulling, who picked up enough points to see her crowned the 2024 F1 ACADEMY champion after starting in third.
“The start was not mega, but the first lap overall was magic. We were able to create a gap, and then every lap we had good space and created an almost a 7-second gap. I have an amazing car, and I'm really happy with this achievement. It means that we made some improvement during the season, it's paying off, and we are showing this on track.”
Pin held onto the lead at the start of the race, but didn’t have the best of launches which left her vulnerable to Weug who lined up in second and third-placed Pulling as they approached Turn 1. Fortunately, the Mercedes junior had been keeping a close eye on other racing series to make sure she was fully prepared for whatever the outcome.
“Obviously by not getting a good start I had to defend," Pin summarised. "First of all on Maya, as she was second and I had to pull to the right, and then Abbi was coming but I stayed mid-track to be on the racing line and to not open much on the inside.
"On the outside I was not worried so much because you can’t make a move as there is less grip, but I managed it well. I am pretty happy about the preparation we did before because I was watching Formula 2 races, and Formula 1 from last year, so I knew some of the moves and I was prepared!”
Pin came into the Lusail weekend second in the Standings and still with a mathematical chance at the title. However, Pulling’s second place finish in Saturday’s race was enough to see her crowned Champion with three races of the season still to go.
“She (Pulling) has had a really good season,” praised Pin. “She was very consistent, so in the end she won the championship today. We have had some ups and downs, not an incredible season.
"But, there were some high moments that we have to keep in mind because we have the pace, and some low moments which we learnt from. Abbi deserved the title and I am really happy for her, and Rodin as well.”
The battle is not over yet though, as Pin has her sights on the Teams’ title for PREMA Racing who are currently on top with 340 points to their name. Their closest competition is Rodin Motorsport on 304, with three races left to battle it out and 183 points to play for.
READ MORE: RACE 1: Pulling secures Drivers' title as Pin takes dominant victory in Lusail
“PREMA deserves the title,” Pin adds. “They are a really good team and help young drivers to develop and grow, and we are like a family. I am hoping we will bring the title to René Rosin and everyone at the workshop, at the track, the mechanics and all the engineers.”