Pin ‘back in shape’ for title fight as she assesses chances of a return to victory in Zandvoort

Back on pole for the first time since Round 1, Doriane Pin was in high spirits after Qualifying in Zandvoort. Dealing with wet conditions for the first time on an F1 ACADEMY weekend, the Mercedes driver pulled out a second-fastest time worthy of P1 on the grid for Race 2.

Whilst her best effort of a 1:46.866 left her a tenth off Race 1 pole-sitter Abbi Pulling, she posted two rapid laps in the final minutes of running. Pin’s final lap of a 1:46.986 was enough to snatch the second pole position away from the Alpine driver by the skin of her teeth — 0.011s.

Reflecting on the challenges of the session, Pin commented: “Qualifying was in tricky conditions. It was full wet, it was quite interesting. It was our first session in the wet this weekend and I think we did a pretty decent job.

“We kept improving the whole session, we managed to be very close with Abbi and take the pole position for Race 2, so I think it’s positive. We know that we have the pace for Race 1 in the wet today, I guess, so I’m going to keep pushing and keep working to try to win.”

She added: “I guess it will be dry conditions (for Race 2). We have the pace, so we’re going to do everything to keep the position and win this race.”

Qualifying could be the start of a return to form for Pin after a weekend of frustration in Barcelona. Fighting back from injury, she suffered a setback as she failed to qualify on the front row for the first time this year.

As a result, she lost ground in the title fight to Pulling, leaving her with a 66-point gap to bridge. Satisfied to be back towards the top, Pin is confident that performances like these can put her campaign back on track.

“Obviously it's very nice to come back to a pole position,” she explained. “It means that we are here again. We keep working and I keep working on myself to get back in shape for the Standings. I’m really happy to get back on the fight and it promises a good fight on track and for the rest of the season.”

READ MORE: QUALIFYING: Pulling and Pin clinch poles in Zandvoort’s frenetic rain-affected session

The PREMA Racing driver’s first challenge will be navigating her way through another rainy session, this time in Race 1. Lining up in P2, she sees her wet-weather pace as an encouraging sign as she looks to fight for the win.

“I think Race 1 today will be wet,” Pin said. “The broadcast said that, so I believe it’s going to be wet. I think it’s positive because Qualifying was really good, so we can aim for something good and try to fight for the victory.”

When asked about the likelihood of a Safety Car appearance, she replied: “I think if it’s wet, we’ll start under the Safety Car. Obviously, the main objective is to have a good restart after the Safety Car. Maybe (there is the) potential for several Safety Cars, so more chances and more possibilities, so I’m looking forward to it.”