Pin believes ‘adaptation’ the key to success in Qatar as she tops Free Practice 1

After leading the way in the opening Free Practice session in Lusail, Doriane Pin says she’s determined to keep her name at the top of the timing sheets throughout Round 6.

The Mercedes driver enters the penultimate weekend with the task of trying to keep her title hopes alive, with 56 points of the remaining 112 to play for in Qatar.

Pin’s 1:56.654 was enough to beat out rival Abbi Pulling and her PREMA Racing teammate Maya Weug to the fastest time of FP1 by two tenths. However, she must outscore Standings leader Pulling by at least 12 points in Qualifying and Race 1 to extend her fight into Race 2.

Asked about her positive start to the weekend in Qatar, Pin said: “I’m feeling good, I’m obviously very happy to be here and to race this weekend. FP1 was great for me, I was on top of the timings and I’m pretty happy about what we have done.

READ MORE: PRACTICE 1: Pin top of the timesheets ahead of Pulling in Lusail opener

“The session went smoothly. We waited a bit at the beginning for the track to improve because there is a lot of wind and some sand on track. Then, we saw the others’ lap time and the track was not bad so we went out and did the job.

“We focus now on FP2 and Qualifying tomorrow because Quali is going to be the key for this weekend. Starting in front in free air would be good and we will focus everything on the performance.”

The French racer picked up where she left off after going fastest during in-season testing in Qatar, with her FP1 effort only 0.028s off her personal best earlier this month.

However, racing alongside Formula 1 and Formula 2 mean that the grip levels will continue to evolve throughout the weekend, whilst blustery winds have added an extra challenge to manage at high speeds.

Although Pin already seems comfortable around the Qatari track, she knows she has to get a feel for the conditions quickly if she hopes to start at the front and never look back.

READ MORE: Edgar dreaming of podium return in Qatar after 2024 campaign disappointments

“I really like the track first of all,” she explained. “The track suits me, I don’t know if we can say that, but I really like it. It’s fast and it’s technical.”

Pin added: “We’re going to look at the data to find some areas where we can improve. The key of the weekend is to adapt without much information because Formula 2 and F1 will drive before FP2.

“It’s going to be the same during the whole weekend and the track will improve. We’ll have more grip, so we have to adapt the setup and adjust. In this we have to be strong as well, but I have no doubt we can do a good job. I hope to go quickest in every session!”