F1 Academy star Doriane Pin is still wishing the best for her idol Lewis Hamilton – despite the two now being on rival sides of the paddock.
The Mercedes-backed junior had been taken under the wing of the seven-time champion before he quit the Silver Arrows for Ferrari.
Hamilton won six of his seven world titles during his 12 years with Mercedes but stunned the sport by leaving to join the Scuderia.
His decision even caught the Silver Arrows by surprise, ending the most successful partnership that F1 has ever seen – which included six drivers’ titles and eight constructors’ championships.
However, upon his exit, Toto Wolff penned an emotional tribute to Hamilton by insisting he would always be part of the Mercedes family.
Pin has since underlined that vow during an exclusive interview with talkSPORT during the F1 75 event in London last month.
Asked what she had made of the fanfare surrounding Hamilton’s move, she admitted: “It’s big and he’s been my idol since I was very young.
“So I think it’s a big thing for F1 and for the history, and yeah, I wish him best of luck in Ferrari.
“I think he dreamed of having this opportunity for a long time and I think he’s still amazing, I mean, he’s an idol wherever he goes and he’s a big inspiration for many of us.”
Hamilton has been the most public of F1 drivers in supporting the series in which Pin has made her name; F1 Academy.
The 40-year-old was on hand to celebrate with the French racer following her triumph in Saudi Arabia last year en route to her finishing second in the standings overall behind Brit Abbi Pulling.
Hamilton also named Pin as one of his two ideal drivers alongside fellow Mercedes junior Kenzo Craigie if he had his own F1 team.
“Kenzo and Doriane,” Hamilton said in December.
“She’s a bad***. If I were to make a team… maybe one day I will… it’ll be diverse from the beginning.”
While Hamilton has since left Mercedes, Pin is still able to lean on any advice from his former teammate George Russell and his successor Kimi Antonelli.
She added to talkSPORT: “Yeah, I mean they give me some advice during the race weekend because you know, some of us discover the tracks and it’s new tracks for us and we have a very limited track time before qualifying stops.
“So they give me a lot of advice during the weekend and obviously enjoy every second of it and work as hard as possible to not have regrets and just full push.”
Pin captured three victories and five further podium finishes last year and is currently gearing up for another title bid in 2025.
Pin admitted: “Yeah, one thing in mind and it’s to win the title at the end of the year. So I will give everything for it.
“I’m very looking forward to Shanghai, the openings round. I think it’s an amazing track, but we have Montreal and Las Vegas on the new calendar. So very exciting about all of this.”
The 2025 season, the third edition of F1 academy, is scheduled to get underway in Shanghai, China, on March 21.
