Abbi Pulling takes double race wins at F1 Academy Round 5 in Singapore – extending her Championship lead to 245 points with 2 Rounds remaining. The Rodin Motorsport driver, dominated racing through-out the weekend – leading Free Practice, taking pole in both Qualifying 1 and 2, followed by winning Race 1 by 2.056 seconds and Race 2 by 3.276 seconds.
In fact, the British driver’s commanding record over F1 Academy’s second season, has notched 7 wins from 10 races, with Prema Racing driver Dorian Pin winning Round 1 R1 in Jeddah along with Round 4 R2 in Zandvoort, and Campos Racing driver Chloe Chambers winning Round 3 R2 at Barcelona in June. For certain, team-driver’s Dorian and Maya Weug pushed hard to match Pulling on the street circuit of Marina Bay, with Maya taking P2 in both races, and Dorian P3.
So, how has Abbi displayed sheer brilliance on the track, at 21 years of age, against equally determined all-female grid under the spotlight of racing at selected F1 Rounds? Taking a close look at Abbi’s results, along with decisions to race which event, when, and where – there are a number of stand out moments which were key to the upward trajectory of her career.
Notwithstanding Abbi’s founding years racing Karting in 2013, followed by competing in Ginetta Juniors in 2018, the switch to race single seater’s in F4 British Championship in 2020 remained pivotal for her career progression. Taking 4 podiums in her first F4 season, Abbi worked along-side her mentor, and WSeries driver at the time – Alice Powell – to further develop her race-craft, talent, and knowledge on the track – gaining debut entry in WSeries in Round 3 at Silverstone in 2021.
As Abbi states, racing WSeries was her first opportunity to compete against the all-female grid of driver’s: ”I’m over the moon to be making my W Series debut at Silverstone and I want to show people what I can do. I’ve never been to the British Grand Prix weekend before and I can’t even begin to imagine what the atmosphere will be like racing in front of a full home crowd. I’ll prepare as well as I can, watch lots of videos, work hard on the simulator and ask Alice [Powell] lots of questions”.
Alice: “I started working with Abbi in August 2020 on all the elements of being a racing driver. At the end of last year, she moved closer to me so we could train together every day to ramp up her fitness and we also do lots of simulator work. Her work ethic is extremely good and that has allowed her to make the step up from karting to single seaters. Abbi is a serious talent. She hasn’t had that much experience in single seaters because budget has been an issue, so it’s great that W Series has given her this chance on the biggest stage. Given the right opportunities and backing, Abbi can go all the way and achieve her goal of reaching Formula 1”. Reference: Kartxpress.
Finishing WSeries 2021 in P7, having completed only 4 Rounds, followed by P4 in 2022, the likeable Brit adjusted to the demise of WSeries, and fixed her eyes firmly on racing F1 Academy the following year. With the undivided support from Rodin Motorsport, Abbi gained impressionable results, against more seasoned driver’s on debut, taking P4 overall, with Marta Garcia winning the Championship.
If each steps counts, Abbi’s resilience and strength of mind has pushed through challenges – namely securing financial backing to race from one season to the next. When the opportunity arose to achieve the next level in her career pathway, Abbi grabbed it, produced results worthy of recognition, and surrounded herself with personal whose belief in her racing career was equal to her own. A potent mix of fortitude, careful decision making, and pointy end results from Free Practice, to Qualifying, to Racing.
With F1 Academy, Round 6 in Lusail on November 29 – December 1, followed by the Final Round 7 in Yas Island on December 6 – 8, Abbi will spearhead her goals to stand top of the podium, to claim the ultimate prize of Championship victory.
Header photo: Abbi Pulling winning F1 Academy Round 5 at Singapore Image: F1 Academy.
Words: Sharon Cox.
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