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‘I’ve always had this in me‘ – F1 ACADEMY Champion Abbi Pulling on her breakthrough season and the next challenge ahead
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For Abbi Pulling, taking the 2024 F1 ACADEMY title was more than just an achievement or a trophy — it was a lifeline.
The 21-year-old has never shied away from the fact that motorsport is a cut-throat business, particularly after budget difficulties forced the Briton to curtail her British F4 campaign three years earlier. But, faced with an unclear future, Pulling knew that being crowned F1 ACADEMY Champion wasn’t merely a goal, it was her only option to keep her racing dream alive.
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With the weight of that uncertainty, the Alpine junior could have easily crumbled. Yet the driver that emerged was one filled with grit, maturity and an abundance of raw speed who would storm to title glory and take the prize of a fully-funded GB3 Championship seat.
“This year is the most pressure I think I’ve ever had going into a race season,” Pulling admits as she reflects on 2024. “It very much was perform and continue. Even if I finished P2, I had no clue what I’d go on to do, so having the funded GB3 seat is priceless for me.
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“People don’t realise how do or die this sport can be for some people. Obviously, there are some who are lucky enough on the finance side of things.
“You can be envious of them, but they’re just living the cards that they’ve been dealt and I’m living with the cards I’ve been dealt. It’s a little bit harder on that side, but if you’re willing to work hard enough and show you’re fast on track, then opportunities should hopefully present themselves.
“Even so, sometimes they don’t, but that’s how cruel the sport can be unfortunately. I’m very fortunate to be where I am now. For people that aren’t as lucky or didn’t have the same opportunities, I want to make the most of it and show in GB3 that I deserve to be there.
"I want to show that I’m not just a female, I’m a fast racing driver.”
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‘It just fuelled me for the rest of the season...’
Executing a near-perfect 2024 campaign, Pulling made it look easy and took the crown by 121 points — a testament to the hard work she’d put into it. Showing few weaknesses, she bagged a record-breaking nine wins out of a possible 14, 10 pole positions, five Grand Chelems (pole position, fastest lap and winning while leading every lap) and never once finished off the podium.
“I’ve always had this in me,” she reflects. “I think I drove really well last year at times, just some things were not in my control that went wrong. On paper, I’d say yes, but I think I’ve been at this level for a while and I finally felt like I’ve had the opportunity to show it.”
I want to show that I’m not just a female, I’m a fast racing driver.
Abbi Pulling
That fire was sparked early on when Pulling was promoted to victory in Race 2 in Jeddah, following Doriane Pin’s time penalty for taking the chequered flag twice after crossing the line in first.
The taste of her first F1 ACADEMY win was somewhat bittersweet, but Pulling worked relentlessly to prove her critics wrong. Delivering back-to-back pole positions and victories next time out in Miami, the Alpine driver missed out on a clean sweep weekend by only one point for the fastest lap in Race 1 and she set the tone for the rest of her year.
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“Miami really set everything off,” admits Pulling. “After I got the momentum in Miami, I felt like I never really slowed down, I kept chipping away and I got really comfortable with what I was doing. It gave me more confidence and I think a lot of that comes from, I guess you’d call it the backlash on social media after I inherited the win in Jeddah.
“I got quite a lot of criticism for no reason really. To prosper from any mistakes that were made in front, I put myself there and the people around me made sure I knew that. It just fuelled me for the rest of the season to prove a point that I deserve to be there.”
Pulling poses for a photo after sealing the title with Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 ACADEMY, Oliver Oakes, Alpine Team Principal, Flavio Briatore, Executive Advisor to Alpine and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali
‘I knew it would take a lot to stop me’
As Pulling’s advantage out front stretched to 95-points after Round 5 in Singapore, complacency could have easily slipped in. With a maximum of 112 points up for grabs, the Briton was on the home stretch, but she knew she’d have a fight on her hands from Mercedes’ Doriane Pin and Ferrari-backed Maya Weug.
"The only time I really allowed myself to think 'actually I've got this' was after Singapore,” replies Pulling after being asked when she first thought the title was hers to lose.
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“The gap was big going into Singapore, but it was still very realistic that something could go wrong or I could get a bad result, and someone could get quite a lot of points and close the gap down.
“I hadn’t at that point been off the podium. I knew it would take a lot to stop me from my competitors, but I also knew I shouldn’t have an outlook where I get complacent and think it’s done — because it wasn’t done.
“Qatar was a track that, as a team, we did struggle quite a bit around there. But the finale in Abu Dhabi, we were very confident that we had quite a lot of pace there and I was quite confident in what I needed to do there as well.”
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Maya Weug (left) and Doriane Pin (right) gave Pulling a challenge at times last year
Pulling adds: “I have a lot of respect for both Doriane and Maya. I think Maya the last couple of races really upped her game and Doriane, she’s done LMP2 with Daniil Kvyat. Having a former F1 driver as your teammate, you’re not going to be slow, you’re going to be tough to beat.
“After Jeddah, I thought this is going to go down to the wire. I really thought that me and her would be going wheel-to-wheel until the very last lap.”
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Climbing the single-seater ladder
Never resting on her laurels, Pulling has gone above and beyond what she hoped to achieve last season, but she recognises there’s still a way to go.
“I went into this year wanting to improve upon myself and really put a lot of focus off-track on the mental side,” Pulling explains. “I think I’ve really developed that, I think I can still improve a little bit. I’ll put a lot of focus on the physical side over the winter, making sure that when I get into the car I’m not restricted physically. That’s the worst feeling as a driver when you can’t get the maximum out of it for that reason.
“There are always parts that that you can improve upon. Four-time World Champion Max Verstappen or seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton probably have things that they can improve upon. No one’s perfect, I’m not comparing myself to them, but everyone can always get better.”
I’ll put a lot of focus on the physical side over the winter, making sure that when I get into the car I’m not restricted physically. That’s the worst feeling as a driver when you can’t get the maximum out of it for that reason.
Abbi Pulling
F1 ACADEMY’s prize of a fully-funded seat in the GB3 Championship has played a vital role in enabling Pulling to make her long sought-after step up to one level below Formula 3. She remains with Rodin Motorsport, the same team that took F3-bound Louis Sharp to the 2024 Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships.
Although relieved to have her plans secured long before the GB3 campaign begins in earnest in April, Pulling’s work has already begun and she won’t settle for anything less than her full potential.
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“I almost feel like saying finally going into a bigger car!” Pulling admits. “Bruno Michel (CEO of Formula 2 and Formula 3) two years ago gave me the opportunity to jump in an FIA F3 car and I’ve never forgotten that day. I’ve never not been grateful, that day was one of the best days of my life.
“I left the day saying I’m very jealous of anyone that gets to drive it all year round. Now I’ve got an opportunity, although it’s not the same car, it’s very similar. It’s got a lot of downforce and a lot of horsepower as well, so I’m really looking forward to going into GB3.
A new challenge awaits Pulling in the GB3 Championship
“A lot of people have said ‘what do you expect?’ To be honest, I have no idea. (…) It’s too early for me to know from testing where I’m going to be, but I’m always striving to be at the front fighting for trophies.
“Even if I’m not there at the beginning, there’ll be some quite experienced drivers in the Championship, probably second-year drivers that are used to a car with more downforce.
“I hope that I can keep progressing throughout the season and end the season very comfortable in a car that’s bigger and faster.”
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