The F1 Academy’s female driver program has found some incredible talent for 2023. Drivers like Bianca Bustamante, Chloe Grant, Jamie Chadwick and Léna Bühler show incredible promise and are excelling in their careers.
Another future star is British racing driver, Abbi Pulling, who currently drives for Rodin Carlin in the F1 Academy. She is also a member of the Alpine Academy program, which aims to develop young talents for the Alpine F1 Team and spotlight female drivers who have the potential to move to F1.
In this article, we will explore her background, family, schooling, karting career, and her achievements in various racing series.
Abbi Pulling – Background
Abbi was born on 21 March 2003 in Gosberton, United Kingdom.
She started karting competitively in 2013 when she was at 9 years old. Abbi won the Super 1 National Junior TKM Championship twice in 2017 and 2018.
She represented he UK in the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Portugal in 2017.
Abbi Pulling – Family
As she comes from a racing family, it seems almost inevitable that Abbi would end up pioneering her path in motor racing,
Her dad, Mark Pulling, is a former kart racer who now runs his own karting team – called Mark Baines Motorsport (MBM).
Mark has been Abbi’s biggest fan and coach throughout her career.
Her mum, Sarah Pulling, is also involved in the motorsport industry as a race director and clerk of the course.
She has a younger brother, Alfie Pulling, who is also a kart racer.
Abbi Pulling – Schooling
Abbi Pulling attended Spalding High School in Lincolnshire.
She was a great student who seems to have managed to balance her education with her racing activities.
Abbi achieved good grades in her GCSEs and A-levels where she studied the STEM subjects such as math’s, physics, chemistry and biology.
She has mentioned in previous interviews that she would like to read for a degree in engineering or motorsport management in the future.
Abbi Pulling – Karting Career
Abbi Pulling had a successful an dominant karting career. She started racing in a non-MSA at Tattershall Kart Club and her first podium followed shortly after, a 3rd place in April 2012.
Abbi won the British championship again being the first person to ever win the Junior TKM title back to back! She also won the TKM Festival, again the first to win it back to back, all whilst making her car racing debut in the Ginetta Junior Championship.
She progressed to the Ginetta GT5 Challenge in 2021 and generally finished the races in the midfield. Her best achievement was finishing with an impressive two consecutive 6th-place finishes at Donington Park
Her achievements form the 2018 season are described in her web site as follows
- Won two out of seven races in the British Junior TKM Championship
- Podium finish in every round of the British championship
- First to win the British Championship back to back in the Junior TKM Class
- First to win the TKM Festival back to back in the Junior TKM class
- Made her debut in car racing in the Ginetta Junior Championship
In 2019, she moved up to Senior Rotax karts and won the Motorsport UK British Kart Championship.
During this period she also raced in Europe with Strawberry Racing and Team Evolution.
Abbi Pulling – 2020 F4 British Championship
In 2020, Pulling made her single-seater debut, racing in the F4 British Championship with JHR Developments. She finished the season 6th in the standings with four podiums to her name.
Abbi did not have a great 2021 year in F4 and resigned in September of 2021 after struggling with budget restrictions.
Despite that she raced in 18 events, achieved 3 podiums and ended the season with 97 points. This placed her in 14th position in the drivers’ championship.
Abbi Pulling – 2021 Puma W Series
In 2021, Abbi Pulling made her debut in the Puma W Series. This is an all-female Formula 3 championship.
She was announced as one of five reserve drivers for the second season of the series after taking part in pre-season testing at Anglesey Circuit in Wales.
She raced for the 1st time in the third round of the championship at Silverstone. This was opportune has she also met with her coach Alice Powell. She qualified in first place at the Austin double-header.
She crowned the achievement off with her first podium (2nd place). This meant she ended the season in 7th place in the standings.
It also meant that she had automatic qualification for the 2022 season.
Abbi Pulling – 2022 Racing X
In 2022, Abbi Pulling continued to race in the Puma W Series as part of Racing X.
Racing X is backed by former Formula One driver David Coulthard.
She had a strong season with consistent results, finishing on the podium twice and achieved two fastest lap awards at the same time.
She also took part in two special races at Monza and Abu Dhabi. Thes events featured male drivers from Formula Regional European Championship and Formula Renault Eurocup.
She impressed the crowds her race pace and overtaking skills against some of the best young drivers in Europe.
She ended the season fourth overall in the standings with 73 points.
Abbi Pulling – Rodin Carlin Racing Team
In March 2022, Abbi signed with the Alpine F1 Team as a member of their new Alpine Affiliate program.
Prior to the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Pulling and Aseel Al-Hamad became the first women to drive a Formula 1 car in Saudi Arabia.
In 2023, Pulling was upgraded to a full-time member of the Alpine Academy and will compete in the all-female F1 Academy series. The F1 Academy is an initiative by Formula One to promote female talent and diversity in the sport.
She is driving for the Rodin Carlin, run by Trevor Carlin. Trevor is one of the most successful team owners in junior formulae .
She drives the Tatuus F4-T-421 car, which is powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine and has a top speed of 240 km/h.
During the year she is facing 19 other female drivers from around the world in a 10-round championship.
Abbi Pulling Racing Achievements
Pulling’s results for the 2021 a 2022 year are summarized below.
| Category | Metric |
|---|---|
| YEARS | 2 |
| Best Championship position | 4 |
| Entries | 11 |
| Starts | 11 |
| WINS | 0 |
| Win from pole | 0 |
| Win & Fastest lap | 0 |
| Hat-Trick | 0 |
| Home Race Wins | 0 |
| Most wins in a season | 0 |
| Win Streak | 0 |
| PODIUMS | 3 (27.27%) |
| P2 Finishes | 2 |
| P3 Finishes | 1 |
| Most podiums in a season | 2 |
| Podiums Streak | 2 |
| BEST FINISH | 2 |
| AVG. Finish | 5.09 |
| Consecutive Finishes | 11 |
| POLES | 1 (9.09%) |
| Most poles in a season | 1 |
| Pole Position Streak | 0 |
| Front Rows | 2 (18.18%) |
| Best Grid | 1 |
| AVG. Grid | 5.82 |
| FASTEST LAPS | 2 (18.18%) |
| Fastest Laps Streak | 1 |
| POINTS | 113 |
| Consecutive Points | 11 |
| RETIREMENTS | 0 |
| Laps Raced | 178 |
Abbi Pulling’s Social Media Accounts
Pulling has the following social media accounts.
Abbi also has her own website – Link
Conclusion
Abbi Pulling is one of the most promising female racing drivers in the world. She has shown her talent, determination and passion for motorsport since she was a child.
Abbi has achieved remarkable results in karting, Formula 4, W Series and F1 Academy. She has also received support and recognition from prestigious organizations such as Alpine F1 Team and Puma.
Abbi has a clear goal of reaching Formula One and becoming the first British female driver to do so. She is an inspiration for many young girls who dream of following her footsteps.
Read About The Exciting F1 Female Drivers Academy here – link
Read About More F1 Academy Drivers
- Bianca Bustamante – Future F1 Driver? (f1worldwide.com)
- Is Jamie Chadwick going to be the first female F1 driver (f1worldwide.com)
- Luna Fluxá: the First Female Driver in the Mercedes Junior Program (f1worldwide.com)
- Chloe Grant Scottish Racing Sensation (f1worldwide.com)
- Aurélia Nobels: A Future F1 Great? (f1worldwide.com)
- Will Abbi Pulling Be The First Female F1 Driver? (f1worldwide.com)
- Léna Bühler: The Rising Star Of The 2023 F1 Academy (f1worldwide.com)
- Hamda Al Qubaisi – The Rising Star of F1 Academy (f1worldwide.com)
- Will Lola Lovinfosse beat out the competition and het into F1? (f1worldwide.com)
