Pin singles out her priority in Jeddah as she aims to recreate 2024 winning form

Doriane Pin might be leading the Drivers’ Standings after the opening weekend, but the Mercedes driver insists she’ll have to be smart if she hopes to stay there during Round 2 in Jeddah.

Although Pin missed out on pole position in Shanghai by 0.497s to Maya Weug, she ultimately emerged victorious in Race 2. Rewarded with a five-point advantage over the Ferrari driver, Pin’s hopes for success this weekend are buoyed by how she kicked off the campaign.

“Being on top of the Drivers’ Standings is great,” she said. “We did a really good start to the season in Shanghai and I want to continue in that direction. Jeddah was very strong last year and I think we are able to do it again.

“We were working hard during the three days of testing and I’m sure we are ready for the race weekend. I’m looking forward to it and I hope we’re going to bring good results to the team.”

Her debut F1 ACADEMY weekend last year saw her almost deliver perfection on the Saudi Arabian streets. Dominating Qualifying, she secured both pole positions by 0.785s and 0.684s to Abbi Pulling and secured a lights-to-flag victory in Race 1.

The French racer repeated the feat in Race 2 but crossed the chequered flag twice. For this, Pin was later handed a drive-through penalty, converted into a 20-second time penalty, which demoted her to ninth and handed the win over to Pulling.

Utilising the in-season test to tweak the set-up based off last year’s feedback, Pin stressed the usefulness of the running and believes tyre degradation should be less of a concern compared to last time out.

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“We’ve been testing a lot of things,” she explained. “Coming back after last year, it was great to test all the items and things in the car to progress and to learn a bit more on the track. It was good and we feel ready.

“It will be hot but the track is very specific. It’s a street track so the degradation is not as big as Shanghai, it’s very different to Shanghai. I’ve learnt a lot and compared to last year, I’ve learnt even more going into this weekend and I hope I will put everything together.

She added: “We had a good strategy in Shanghai, even if it was a bit of a compromise on Saturday. Jeddah will be different, there is a bit less wear on the tyres as it’s a street track. We’re going to see in Qualifying, but the aim is to put everything together in Quali and to be on the front row.”

Instead of tyre degradation, Pin is pondering how to approach the reverse grid Race 1. Absent from last year’s format, the Mercedes driver admits it’s still something she’s getting used to, with Jeddah’s limited overtaking options forcing her to weigh up the risk and rewards of every opportunity.

“The biggest challenge we’re going to face is the reverse grid,” Pin remarked. “It’s something new this year, so it’s a new challenge for everyone, but especially for the top-eight where it’s reversed. Jeddah is not as easy as Shanghai for overtakes so we have to be smart and to find a way to climb up and find good places to overtake."

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The key point of the weekend is always Qualifying, especially on a street track in Race 2 where you score (the most) points, you want to start in front. That’s the main target, to be competitive in Quali to be in front for Race 2.”

She concluded: “My target this weekend is to score as many points as possible, but obviously doing pole and the win, especially in Race 2 for the points. Also, to keep working on myself and improving every time I jump in the car. The reverse grid will be a really good way to work on myself and to improve in my racecraft and overtakes.