Doriane Pin: F1 ACADEMY champion, still pushing

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Since she first sat in a go-kart,

Dorian Pan has only wanted to drive.

Nine years old and you're driving 90 kph

and you feel like a superior, you know?

The first thing I love is the sensation and the driving

but I'm very competitive and I don't like losing.

Dorian raced and she won, but that wasn't enough.

Aged just 11, she walked into meetings to find sponsors

so she could move up to cars, endurance racing and Le Mans.

Her goal?

A career in open-wheel racing.

Her dream?

Formula One.

Dorian Pan has won the championship.

Yes!

I love you guys.

F1 Academy champion, Mercedes development driver,

poised to drive an F1 car for the first time.

In five years, where could Dorian be?

I hope I will have a racing suit.

Mercedes racing suit.

Mercedes with the stars being Formula One.

Hello and welcome to F1 Beyond the Grid with me, Tom Clarkson.

Every driver who makes it into the Formula One paddock

has given everything they have to be there

and Dorian Pan is no exception.

From a young age, it was clear she had the talent

she just needed the opportunity.

She showed her speed with sports car wins

and honed her race craft in endurance racing,

including the Le Mans 24 hours.

Mercedes spotted her and gave her a seat in F1 Academy.

Suddenly, Dorian was in the same team

as her racing role model, Lewis Hamilton.

Advice from him, George Russell, Kimmy Antonelli

and F1 Academy boss, Susie Wolfe

helped her make the switch to open-wheel race cars

on Grand Prix circuits.

Second in her first season,

she sealed the F1 Academy title in year two

on the streets of Las Vegas.

Her target is the same as it was when she first sat in a cart,

racing in Formula One.

Now, a bit of a glimpse behind the scenes before we start.

F1 Beyond the Grid is recorded at race tracks around the world

and occasionally, we have to record when there are cars on track.

When I spoke to Dorian, we were sitting in a room

above the start-finish straight in Shanghai

and the Porsche Supercut support race was on.

So, it's a little bit noisy,

but hey, that's part of being at the racetrack.

Dorian, thank you for your time. How are things?

Good, good, and you?

Very well, thank you.

Now, you're a busy lady,

reigning F1 Academy champion,

you're the Mercedes development driver in Formula One,

you're racing LMP2.

Do you like the variety you've got going on at the moment?

I like being busy, for sure, because I love what I do

and having all these opportunities,

it's great for me and for my learning and for my career as well.

So, I'm enjoying everything.

Does variety as a racing driver make you better?

All the different experiences?

Yes, definitely, definitely.

More you're working with experienced people

and being around with them,

you obviously learn a lot of things

and you can reflect on yourself as well to progress

and to bring some new things into your career

and your approach to racing and stuff, so definitely.

Well, let's start.

We're going to break this down, but let's start with Formula One.

You are the development driver for Mercedes.

What does the role entail?

So, basically, I'm doing some simulator work with the F1 team,

so being in the simulator with the engineer

and doing a lot of testing

and we have a lot to do with the new car obviously,

so a lot of work into the simulator

and then on the side,

I'm going to be in the F1 Academy races as well

to help Payton, Westcott,

that is the new F1 Academy driver racing for Mercedes,

and I'm here to share my experience

and try to help her progress into her young racing career

because she's only 16 and yeah,

I'm looking forward to see her progression as well.

Well, come on to Payton.

Can we start by talking about the sim in Brackley?

What does that mean in terms of

are you helping develop this year's car?

Are you there on Friday nights during a Grand Prix weekend?

What does that look like?

Yeah, basically, we are doing the work to develop the car,

so there's a lot of test items that the engineer wants to try

and we are here to test everything,

then to send and give feedback to them

so we can go to all of these

and then we have some new invention to the car

or new improvement and that's the job of us inside the sim

is to really be precise on the feedback

and give the maximum info while driving

on everything we do to then progress on and on.

How complex are the simulators?

How long has it taken you to get used to it?

One morning, actually, yeah.

Now it's very realistic compared to the real car.

I haven't driven yet, but probably this year in a private test,

but it's very realistic and you can really give the feedback.

It's exactly the same car as the real one

when I'm talking to George and the team

and you can really do a very good job in the sim

and it's relevant in real life, so everything is very precise.

Could anyone who's done a bit of sim racing

jump on a Formula One simulator and do a good job?

It's a big step.

I'm not a driver that did a lot of sim in the past,

so I did it during Covid obviously because we had no racing,

but for sure you have a time to adapt

and there's a lot of things going on.

It's a F1 car and there's a lot of technical stuff

that you have to learn and the engineers are here

to help you as well.

There's a lot of engineers as well,

so they are here full-time at Wackley to work

with all the drivers that is coming into the sim.

So yeah, it's definitely very complex,

but very interesting for us.

How long is a sim session?

It's full day normally.

It's from 8 hours?

8 to 6, 7 p.m.

and with the short breaks to it,

but yeah, it's quite a lot of work.

I find this fascinating.

How many laps can you do from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.?

You can do a lot.

For my first day of the sim, I did 102 laps.

So quite a lot.

Which racetrack?

Abu Dhabi.

Okay.

You're going to be quick when you next go to Abu Dhabi, aren't you?

Now, you mentioned something a moment ago

about driving a real Formula 1 car.

Has Toto said that?

Yes.

Obviously, we had to see how is the sim going

and then it was the potential next step,

but the sim went well, very well actually,

and that's why they had the idea to put me in a private test

and to give me the chance to drive the real car.

So definitely, I'm really pushing for it as well

because I really want my chance to drive the car

and to show that there is a potential

because my target is to go for Formula 1.

So I will make sure that I'm fully ready

before jumping in the car in the real life.

What do you think will be the biggest difference with the sim?

I think the downforce because the sim is very realistic,

but the downforce is huge in F1

and that will be the most different.

Have you had a seat fit yet?

No, not yet.

We need to be there when this happens.

Now, can I talk to you about your relationship with Mercedes?

It began a couple of years ago, didn't it,

when you joined the F1 Academy.

Just how did the conversations begin?

Was it Gwen Lagrue who first got in touch?

Yes, Gwen.

Obviously, that is helping me a lot in my racing career

as soon as I joined Mercedes.

But yes, obviously, we had some discussions end of 2023.

I was racing in the World Engine Championship in LMP2

with Prema and...

And winning.

Yes, and then we decided to do the jump into single-seater racing

because that was my target in my racing career.

And obviously, Mercedes came to us as well.

I mean, we all had the discussion to join the junior program in 2024.

How different is a sports car compared to a Formula 4 car

like F1 Academy?

It's very different.

The endurance racing world is very different to F1, for sure.

It's a lot about management and teamwork.

It's also teamwork, obviously, in a Formula 1.

Everyone is part of success and everyone has to be involved.

But endurance racing is obviously a more heavier car,

so different driving styles.

GT is proper racing because you can allow to touch a bit

and do some...

Rubbings racing, Dorianne, right?

Sorry?

Rubbings racing.

Yeah, okay.

Yes, but no, LMP2 and hypercars are also very interesting categories

and a lot of manufacturers are coming to the World Engine Championship.

So in the future, I think it will be very interesting to follow

and to watch and to be racing on as well.

Because this is quite a well trodden path for Mercedes.

I think back to the Mercedes juniors of the early 90s,

Schumacher, Wendlinger, Frenzen, racing in WEC,

and then, of course, all three of those make it to Formula 1

and Michael Schumacher needs no introduction.

Are your inputs very different as a driver, though?

Is there more subtlety, I suppose, to racing a single-seater?

Yeah, it's slightly different.

But it's still a lot of performance at the end.

You have to have the fuel strategy, tire strategy in endurance,

but you still need to drive as fast as possible, you know,

trying to fuel save and tire save.

And at the same time, it's the fastest on track.

And so in terms of driving, sometimes it's a bit different in the races,

but in terms of having an LMP2 car or GT in a quali, it's the same.

I mean, there's a lot of different things,

but in terms of driving, it's the same.

You try to extract the maximum of performance of the car,

and the driving is still very committed and there, yeah.

What about Le Mans?

24 hours, you've raced there before.

Is that a completely different cattle of fish?

I mean, 24 hours.

I hear some people saying that you're on the limit for 24 hours.

If you want to win it, is that your experience of it?

Yeah, I've been in the 24 hours of Le Mans in 2023

for my first ever Le Mans.

It is different, yes, but yes, you push for 24 hours for sure

because the competition is very high

and the most important thing is obviously to stay out of trouble,

but sometimes you have to take risk and there's a lot of things going on.

There's the strategy going on.

There is obviously the performance for us inside the car,

but there is also the traffic management because...

How hard is that traffic management?

It's tough, it's tough.

Because it's busy out there, isn't it?

It's very busy, yeah.

There's a lot of cars on track.

At least it's a long track, but still, there is always a car

and especially when you're the fastest car coming into the GT

and you catch up GTs,

you have to overtake as soon as possible, as fast as possible then.

When you catch up in high speed,

obviously you have to manage before to arrive at the right moment

and position and overtake.

So it's a lot of experience as well.

So it's a lot of things that you have to manage as a driver.

It's not only driving as fast as possible and it's a lot about management

but also giving the right feedback of what is happening on track

and the conditions and if it's raining,

you have a lot to do in the car to give the information in the pit world.

How do you like sharing a car with another driver?

It's good, it's good.

Is it really?

It's obviously when you're alone, your car is set up for you

but when you share, it compromises.

But no, it's a good experience to share cars

and to be involved to such a big team

that everyone is putting 100% effort to succeed.

It's beautiful and it's good to share and talk between drivers and the team

because everyone has his way to think and way to approach

and sometimes we can grow faster.

So it's very interesting.

I hope we're allowed to say this

but Richard Vuchel is one of your teammates, isn't he?

Now, Richard's a great guy.

He's had lots of success in Formula 2.

He's now part of I think the McLaren Young Driver Program

but he's quite a lot bigger than you.

So how does it work at a pit stop?

Who's the least comfortable?

You or Richard?

We have to ask him but we make the seats fit two weeks ago

and it was a nightmare to be honest because he's 187.

And what are you?

I'm 160.

So how does that work?

It's a mess, it's a big mess.

So he means the base of the seat basically is being insert

that stays always in the car

but obviously the full pedal are not...

We cannot adjust it when it's fixed in the chassis.

So they are all the way forwards obviously

and me obviously I'm very laid down on the car.

So he's the base and I'm doing an insert on the base of Richard but...

Are you comfortable?

Not really.

It's kind of hard isn't it?

We try too but...

Then how long is the stint at Le Mans?

Two hours?

It depends, depends on the strategy

but sometimes you can triple the stint with the same tires

so it's three times 40-45 minutes.

42 minutes the stint.

So it's quite long but also he's not very comfortable.

He's very tall, he has the knee almost in the cot pit

so it's always a compromise but it's like this.

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This episode is sponsored by Indeed.

There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes of this show.

Booking guests across time zones, tight turnaround edits and constant time management.

And when things get chaotic you realize pretty quickly

how important it is to have the right person on your team.

If I had to hire someone tomorrow I wouldn't just want a good editor.

I'd want someone who understands pace in long-form interviews

and can work fast under pressure.

And in moments like that you think this is a job for sponsored jobs.

Because indeed sponsored jobs boost your listing in search results

helping you reach the candidates with the specific skills and experience you actually need.

And it works.

Sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed are 95% more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs.

That's a serious edge when the pressure's on.

Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates

who check all your boxes.

Less stress, less time, more results.

When you need the right person to cut through the chaos

this is a job for indeed sponsored jobs.

And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit

to help get your job the premium status it deserves

at indeed.com slash podcast.

Just go to indeed.com slash podcast right now

and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.

Indeed.com slash podcast.

Terms and conditions apply.

Need to hire? This is a job for indeed sponsored jobs.

Back to Mercedes.

How much contact have you had over the last couple of years

with the other Mercedes juniors and with Georgian Kimi Antonelli?

Yeah, I mean, sometimes we see each other

but mainly me with F1 Academy I was in the same weekends as Formula One

so I was able to chat with them and to have some advice from them to ahead of the weekend

and it was very useful for me obviously going to a track

that I don't know like Montreal last year or Las Vegas

I was able to have some advice from George especially

so we had always a call before the weekend

or we see each other on track to see someone boards or some data

so I can have the full information and full picture of what I expect before the weekend

What kind of advice would George give you?

Because the race track is very different in an F1 Academy car versus a Formula One car, right?

Yeah, for sure, but it's mainly driving the approach, the curves, usage, the track characteristics

F1 and F4 is very different for sure

but track has a characteristic and whatever you have more downforce or higher downforce

the corner is the same, you know what I mean?

For sure in high speed they will have much more speed than us

but it's the same approach in terms of driving

so those kind of feedbacks from a driver, a Formula One driver

is fundamental because it's the best feedback that I can have before jumping in the car

and I know what to do in high speed, what to approach this corner with elevation

not elevation, curves, usage inside, outside

so bumps as well on braking zone

you have a lot of information that you want to know

and when you jump in the car and you have no question in your head

that's the best way to perform

so that's the thing that I'm always looking for before starting a weekend

How often though are you jumping in the car with no questions?

A bit like a footballer is very rarely fully fit

but they still play, how often are you getting in the car?

Most of the time to be honest because I really like to get prepared well

before each event, each session I'm doing, each runs

so normally I know everything but what happens on track you never know

you will never guess before you are actually in the moment

and then it's yourself, you are trying to adapt to the situation

and try to perform as best with what you have at the moment

but going on track without any thought and only connecting to the presence

it's the best and it's how I manage to perform

but I think you are a driver who can adapt

and I look at the Las Vegas season finale

you had every weather thrown at you

and you were one of the ones who kept your head

and that ultimately helped win the title

because before each weekend I'm visualising the track

if it's dry, damp, wet, fully wet

I have the whole picture in my head

and I know what to do with the car

I know how I adapt to the situation, all different situations

I try to visualise where to overtake

where to surprise, where to safety carry start

I have the full picture in my head

and it's easier to adapt to things when you are fully prepared

so then it's natural

I can so see that you've spoken to George a bit

because I feel like I'm speaking to George Russell

he's always so incredibly prepared

we're chatting in China and he came up with a line yesterday

in the press conference where he said

this was the second grippiest start of the year last year

he's just looked at everything

and you strike me as a similar approach

Look, while we're talking racing drivers

can we just discuss inspirations for you?

I mean, let's look at the current grid

who in Formula One has inspired you

when you were younger to get involved?

The one who inspired me is Lewis Hamilton mainly

because when I started watching Formula One

when I was very little with my dad at home

it was Lewis Hamilton

obviously winning titles

and my first memory is when he won his first title

I mean his first title was Mercedes

second title for him in 2014

so that was my first memory

when then they keep fighting

with his teammate Nico Osberg

Was it a bit surreal then

when he would come down to the Academy?

Yes, it was

because I was watching him since a very long time

and the first year I joined Mercedes

he was still in Mercedes

so I was able to have some advice

and support from him

and it's still now up to last year

we discussed a bit sometimes when we see each other

and he's there to help

and very easy to talk with

so I'm glad we met

and I'm glad I had the chance to have some advice from him

What about Antonelli?

Have you come across Kimmy Much?

Yes, definitely

I mean the last year obviously

we spent some time together

between the team, also for media

and for events outside the track

but we were able to discuss a bit

and also had some advice from him

especially when we had our first test

in F1 Academy in the 2025 season

we were testing in Rehrez

and I had no idea about anything in Rehrez

because I never drove there

and actually two weeks ago

before I went he did a F1 test there

so I had the full onboard

and the full advice from him as well

so it was good

But how useful is an onboard of F1

if you're not driving F1?

It's still good because there are very good drivers

obviously you can get a lot of information

watching their onboard

in terms of track usage

and overall the balance of the car

you can see a lot on onboard

so even if it's not the same top speed

not the same braking point

actually it's close the braking points

but the minimum speed and stuff

it's completely different

but as I said in terms of driving

the lifting high speed and stuff

it's pretty similar

even if you have different speeds

so it's still very useful

but obviously the best thing is

to have an onboard from the category you're driving

but sometimes when we go to Las Vegas

and there's only F1 racing in Las Vegas

you have no choice

and you have to get ready with full onboard of F1

and you have to deal with it

and that's it

What's really coming across is

all the Mercedes drivers

it's kind of one family

is that how it feels on the inside?

Yeah, very much

Do you feel you can ring anyone?

Yeah I can, I can ring anyone

Yes, yes, they're all very good

very close to each other

helping each other

very friendly as well

so I met a lot of amazing people

within the team

and very proud to have this chance

to be with the Mercedes family

and learning from them

and spending time with them

and winning with them as well

Winning with them

We're going to come on to that

but can I ask you about Suzy Wolf?

I'm guessing you've had a lot to do with her

both obviously Toto Wolf's wife

but also what she does at F1 Academy

How much of an inspiration has she been?

She has been an inspiration

obviously the project that she created

F1 Academy is huge

and is expanding every year

and she was a driver herself

so she had experience

and she knows exactly what we need

to us have the same opportunities as the men

and that's why she created this platform

to give us the opportunity to race

the opportunity to work with the manufacturer

and to have the visibility also for our career

and it's good for us

and it's a big chance that we have once in a lifetime

so it's a chance to have her around us

Dorianne, you were watching Louis in 2014

so do you remember Suzy doing her practices for Williams in 2014?

Yeah, it was

but I don't remember the moment where she went on track

but I know what she experienced

and it's amazing

You seem like a sponge for information

You've talked about advice from George and Louis and Kimmy

What about Suzy? What advice has she given you?

The best advice she gave me is

you have to be fully there

and if you're 98% or 99% there

and you let the 1% at home or whatever

you don't extract the full potential of your career

and those things are very important for us

because we have opportunities that are not coming every day

and we have to take fully

and to know to make sure that we are fully ready

and to make sure that we are working with the team

and the team is there to help you

and it's also important for us to have a very good communication

with everyone that is around

everyone that is helping you in your career

and that's what she tells us and she tells me

Is it focus we're talking about here or is it more than that?

It's more communication

You have your opportunity but you have to make sure that everyone is on board

basically

and you have to trust the people you're working with

you have to work with the people you're working with

and to optimise everything that is around basically

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This episode is sponsored by Indeed

There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes of this show

booking guests across time zones

tight turnaround edits and constant time management

and when things get chaotic

you realise pretty quickly how important it is

to have the right person on your team

If I had to hire someone tomorrow

I wouldn't just want a good editor

I'd want someone who understands pace in long formings of use

and can work fast under pressure

and in moments like that you think

this is a job for sponsored jobs

because indeed sponsored jobs boost your listing

in search results

helping you reach the candidates with the specific skills

and experience you actually need

and it works

Sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed

are 95% more likely to report a hire

than non-sponsored jobs

That's a serious edge when the pressure's on

Spend less time searching and more time

actually interviewing candidates

who check all your boxes

less stress, less time, more results

When you need the right person to cut through the chaos

this is a job for indeed sponsored jobs

And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit

to help get your job the premium status it deserves

at indeed.com slash podcast

Just go to indeed.com slash podcast right now

and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast

Indeed.com slash podcast

Terms and conditions apply

Need to hire? This is a job for indeed sponsored jobs

Can you tell us a little bit more now about your journey in racing?

I know you started karting at the age of nine

Was racing in your family?

So my dad raced

Oh, did he? Okay

Yeah, my dad raced in co-karting only

Just like a hobby

Who is my uncle? Who is his brother?

His mechanic

Was dad quick?

He was actually in co-karting, yes

Yes, but maybe not at the chance financially

to continue

So yeah, but yeah, he was quick

But he did only some races in France

or just national races

Can you remember the first time you drove a car?

Yes, I do

Is there a story? Can you tell us?

A Wednesday after school

I was cool at the morning

and then we were planning to go at the racetrack in the afternoon

and we had the go-kart on the trailer

and I remember we take the road

and I was watching the mirrors and I was seeing my go-karts

I was so proud

because I waited that moment for a very long time

because in France you can start at six years old

and I was too short

I had some issues and my growth and my height

so I had to wait until nine

so imagine the frustration

Yes, so we went at the racetrack

and I drove for the first time

I was very, very happy

and I said to my dad

all the other sport that I was doing at that time

I said okay, I think I want to stop

I just want to race

Was it about racing for you that you love so much?

Was it the speed?

I think it was the sensation in the car

you are nine years old

and you are driving 90 kph

It's nothing for us, but he's fast for nine years old

and you feel like a superior

The reason I ask that question is that

doing these interviews with racing drivers

I feel there are two different types of racing drivers

You get people who love the sensation of driving

and you get people who love competition

and I think there are some Formula One drivers

whose main source of motivation is the competition

not the driving

but for you it's the driving

No, both

because I'm only child actually

but I'm very competitive since I'm born

because I did a lot of sports

and I was always looking for to beat everyone

I played tennis

and I've been playing good tennis since my age

so I've been going to the highest level

so I was playing with a 12 year old

and I was 6, 7, 8

so I wanted to have competition

I wanted to look for winning matches

and races when I was at the racetrack

so I'm very both

I'm very connected to what I'm doing

because I think the first thing I love is the sensation

and the driving

but I'm very competitive

and I don't like losing so

Note to self, don't play you at tennis

I'm getting this vibe

Do you know, Toto Wolf tells this great story of how

he went to support a friend of his

who was racing in Formula 3

at the Oster Eichering

which is now of course the Red Bull Ring

I think it was Philip Peter

I think was the friend of Toto's

and he said standing on the grid next to Philip

prior to the start

I think he described it to me as a eureka moment

he said he knew from that moment onwards

that this is all he wanted to do

and when you first got behind the wheel

it was the same for you

Exactly, yeah

the fact that this is very special

and everything else is just normal

it's something that you step out in your life

and I've been doing a lot of sport

I've been obviously going to school

until my high school exams

but when I was at the racetrack

I was the most happiest person

and it's an evidence for me

to be there

and to be at the racetrack and to race

so for sure you have to feel this sensation

that is stepping out

on all the other sensations

that you live in your life

Tell me more about your six years in karting

so was it mainly in France?

Yes, mainly in France, yeah

and how many other girls were there in your category?

When I began I was the only one

How did that feel?

I was not paying attention to be honest

but I don't think I've realised

even my dad was not doing a story about it

we were there to win races

and to be competitive

but also to enjoy

I didn't mind to be alone

but then I realised when I grew up

that I'm the only one

and I'm opening some doors to the sport

and to the girls that also want to do the same

and think that it was impossible before

You're definitely doing that now

but do you think you were doing that

even when you were karting?

Yes, in my last few years in karting

we were more for sure

it kept progressing throughout the year

but I mean, me I didn't realise at the moment

because I was young and I was very focused

but it's true that when you are at the racetrack

and you are racing

and you are winning the race in front of all the boys

and everybody

some girls are coming to you and say

oh, thanks you for showing that it's possible

and that now I'm racing like you

and I want to be as competitive as you are

and everything

so for sure there is some impact

on what I'm doing since the beginning

Now the natural step from karting

is to go into single seaters

Obviously, yeah

But you didn't

I didn't

Am I right?

You raced a Renault Clio first, is that right?

Yes, yeah

Renault

Front-wheel drive, completely different

Completely different, yeah

First races with a car

but Renault invited me into three races

so at that time I had nothing

it was complicating financially

so I was trying to make the most of it

and then I did a selection

that helped me to meet some people

and they are on their project as well

that I joined in 2021

And then it was always

well, if you start in Clio's

the natural route is to then go

to stay in 10 tops and go sports car racing

No, that was not my target

The target was doing Formula 4

but we didn't find the budget

Just for people who don't know

what's the budget for F4?

Good question

It depends the championship

but now it's very expensive

but at my time

We're talking hundreds of thousands

is what we're talking about

Yeah, we were talking about 250,000

so it's a lot

it's price of a house, to be honest

So imagine to find this

it's complicated

even if I want a French championship

we were not able to find enough

and not even 20% of it

so I wanted that target

and I've been looking for partners

since I was

at the very beginning since I was 11

I was going to companies alone

without my dad

My dad was dropping me off

and he said, okay, you go

you ask for this guy

and you have to talk to him

to convince him that

he has to help you in your career

and this was tough at 11

How old were you?

11, when I started

and I was like

how can I speak

how I managed to talk about myself

and how can I sell my career

but I learned a lot

obviously you go a lot when you're 11

and you have to deal with all these things

but at that point

I did Clio Cup

but I still had the F4 target

and single sitter

because my dream has always been

Formula 1

but we didn't manage

Well you got there in the end

Yeah, we got it here

so it's okay to pass from endurance

and have some success

and have also the chance

that I had with Mercedes

thanks to my result in endurance

in the World Endurance Championship

everything happened for a reason I think

and you have to never give up

and my dream haven't changed

throughout my years in endurance

I've been very committed to my work

and I always wanted to win races

and championships

and to especially have this chance

one day to switch to single sitter

with someone

and the people that helped me

to switch and to do this switch

and to succeed in single sitter

so that's what we did in 2024

The Sports Car Link

did put you into contact

with a lot of great drivers, doesn't it?

We've discussed your relationship

with the Mercedes guys

but I'm thinking

please tell me if I'm wrong

but in 23

was Daniel Kiviak

a teammate of yours for a while

another Formula 1 driver

and you are a sponge for knowledge

it must have set you up

Yes, yeah

How was Danny?

He's good

He's a great guy, isn't he?

He's a great guy

very friendly as well

so a good year is in

we did a podium in Sebring

in US

The bumpiest racetrack in the world

Amazing racetrack

very old school

very lovely

lovely

but yeah

definitely when I knew

that we start talking with Mercedes

I asked him some advices

and still now actually

before going to the sim

I told him how is F1 sim

and what can advice you can give me

for sure I was very helpful for me

when I was just 19

driving next to him

and learning from him

and from his feedbacks

that he's giving after he jumped out of the car

and also on the radio

and the approach of racing and stuff

he has a lot of experience

and did many years in F1

so for sure he was going to

me to get ready for the switch afterwards

Well look, let's talk about the switch now

your two years in F1 Academy

were extraordinary, weren't they?

Actually, you finished P2 in year one

you become the champion in year two

you finish in the points in every single race

I mean, Dorian, you really were

it was a phenomenal period for you

Yeah, I think to succeed

the important thing is consistency

and the first year was good, decent

even if I was aiming for the title

in the first year

but everything was new

and makes sense that it takes a bit of time

to then be even more consistent

and being more perform

and the second year was much better

What made the difference in year two

because you stay with Prima

so that the team stays the same

Yes

Did the driver change?

Yes

How did the driver change in year two?

I definitely made a step in terms of driving

technique and also the approach of racing

I was much more settled

and I knew what to expect

but also I grew

I think it made the difference

because we were, as you said, always in the points

always going the maximum we can

and we win quite a lot of races

but we also make the difference when it counts

and where it can't

it was in Las Vegas at the last round

because the championship was played at the last race

and we really make the difference out there

by adapting quicker, very consistent

fast since the first lap, first push lap of FP1

and condition, adapting to the condition

and winning at the race one

where he was full wet

without driving in that track

in wet conditions

and actually my competitor

for the championship did the mistake

in that moment

so it's where we step out

it's where we make the differences

when those moments are very important

that we are here and we perform

You and Mayer Wong had had a fantastic battle all season

did she bring out the best in you?

Definitely, I think so, yeah

because we always push each other

from races to races

and we never let these last persons

in the garage, you know, we were very...

Back to Susie's advice, right?

Exactly, exactly

That's why I'm saying that

but yeah, she's a very good driver as well

she's very competitive

also, she was definitely good this last season

and it was a very close battle

but that's why it played at the very last round

because we also had in our championship

the reverse grid

so we had to...

always when you're at the top two

in quality you start P7 or P8

you know, it's something very different

in terms of approach of racing

and when you're playing a championship

you want to be aggressive

but intelligent, you know

so we always push each other

because we were always together in the races

and fighting against each other

and fighting with the others

so I'd definitely be better

thanks to this battle, yeah

Doria Pao has won the championship

she finishes in fifth place

and she has taken the title

Yes!

I love you guys

and she has now managed to score points

in all 30 races

she has ever done in F1 Academy

and she has fully deserved

becoming champion here today

Do you remember even now the emotions

how you felt directly afterwards?

Yeah, very, very emotional moments

obviously

Was your dad in last week?

No, no, he was at home

unfortunately, he didn't come

but all the Mercedes team was there

and he's my second family

so with all the t-shirts

you know, special t-shirts

didn't expect it

but it was very nice

and very emotional

because I put a lot of work into it

and also the fact that

I switched to single-seater

and we are competitive

and we won our first title

as something that is very important to me

and very big

How important, Doria, was winning that title?

Would you be sat here now

as a Mercedes development driver

without that title?

No, it was fundamental

for the future of my career for sure

so I knew it was very important

but I knew I can make it

so I was convinced

if I put my work into it

and if my dedication is there

the result is coming

and it came so

How did it feel?

I remember looking at the podium

and there was Toto was below the podium

Stefano Dominic Carli was below the podium

Valtteri Bottas was there as well

George was there as well

They were all there

How did that make you feel?

I was very happy

It's great to have their support

and especially also George

that helped me quite a lot last year

that he's there to celebrate

It's a great memory for sure

He gave you that advice

Can I just ask you before we end

there's one quote that I've heard you say

which is

the car needs to be an extension of yourself

What do you mean by that?

You know when I was talking

you have no question in your head

and you just focus on the present

that's the way you feel in the car

when you have no thought

just focus on the present

and the car is becoming an extension

of your body

It's like when you're turning

you feel that everything has an alignment

everything is connected

It's not always that you feel that

but you're trying to be in that range

all the time

because it's that phase of feeling

that you perform the best

and you perform very naturally

It's like being in a zone

Dorian, have you seen the F1 movie?

Yes, I did

You know at the end

Sonny Hayes talks about flying

or his engineer talks about flying

It's kind of the same thing

This is what we're talking about here

And how difficult is it to get yourself in that range?

It is difficult because it's a mental step

that you don't reach all the time

because there is always something

that is bothering you inside

and you want to get rid of everything

that's when you feel in the moment

you know you're going to perform

and you're actually not asking yourself

any questions

It's not like, for example,

you arrive in the braking point

and you're like, if I brake 5 meters deeper

it's going to make the lap

You arrive in the corner

you don't even ask you anything, any questions

and you just pass the corner

and everything is making sense

without even thinking

That was my translation

It's all sort of almost subconscious

It's happening without having to think

Dorian, it's been such a joy to have you on the show

Thank you for your time

Final one, 5 years time

If we do this again, have another interview

in 5 years time

Where do you see yourself?

I hope I will have a racing suit

A Mercedes racing suit

Mercedes with the stars, being Formula One

Well look, best of luck with that

Thank you

I'd love to see Dorian in Formula One

She'd be a huge asset to any team

and she's now getting the opportunity

in the Mercedes simulator

and I look forward to talking to the Merck engineers

after her TPC test later in the year

I'm sure she'll be straight on the pace

Dorian, many thanks for your time

It was great to talk to you

and good luck with everything coming up this year

And remember that you can watch every round

of the F1 Academy season on F1 TV

and get the highlights on YouTube

Well that's almost it for this episode

If you need something else to listen to

why not try the latest episodes

of F1 Nation or F1 Explains

or one of our previous episodes of this show

Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Toto and Suzy Wolff

have all been on F1 Beyond the Grid

and are well worth checking out

I'll of course have another new episode for you next week

but for now, thanks for listening

F1 Beyond the Grid is produced by

Formula One and AudioBoom Studios

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and see you next time

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Doriane Pin: F1 ACADEMY champion, still pushing

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