Mercedes racer Doriane Pin stripped of victory after bizarre double chequered flag incident

Mercedes’ F1 Academy star Doriane Pin has lost her victory in Jeddah after being unaware that the race had finished.

Alongside Formula 1 contesting the second round of their 2024 campaign in Saudi Arabia, the all-female F1 Academy series was also in action at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit as part of a two-race round to get their second season underway.

Doriane Pin loses race two win after taking chequered flag twice

The ties between F1 and F1 Academy strengthened significantly for the 2024 season, with each of the 10 F1 teams required to back a driver who would race in their livery, Mercedes represented by 20-year-old French racer Pin.

And she would begin her season in ideal fashion by claiming both race victories on offer, though a strange mishap, where Pin was unaware that race two had actually finished, has cost her that victory.

After taking the chequered flag, for the first time, Pin’s Prema team were busy celebrating her double victory on the pit wall, but on the track, Pin was still pushing flat out on what was the cooldown lap.

Ultimately the red flag needed to be shown to stop Pin, who completed two laps at full speed, with Race Control deciding to impose a drive-through penalty post-race, which was converted into a 20-second time penalty.

That sees Pin drop down to P9, with Alpine junior Abbi Pulling inheriting the race two win.

PlanetF1.com recommends

F1 schedule: When is the next F1 race and where is it being held?

The 12 drivers out of contract at the end of the F1 2024 season

“Doriane Pin has received a drive-through penalty for crossing the chequered flag twice and completing two laps at full speed until the red flag was shown,” the F1 Academy website explains.

“As the penalty could not be served in-race, it has been converted into a 20-second penalty added to her elapsed race time.”

Pin will now look to put this baffling incident behind her and regain momentum for what looks like a brewing title challenge, with F1 Academy back in action come May at the Miami International Autodrome, as part of F1’s Miami Grand Prix race weekend.

Read next – Helmut Marko issues update on future after crunch talks with Red Bull management