Written by Sophie Harvey
After a season of phenomenal performances, Abbi Pulling has obliterated the field to secure the F1 Academy title in Qatar!
An incredible season for an incredible driver | Credit - Abbi Pulling via X
Abbi Pulling’s weekend in Qatar didn’t start as smoothly as she would have liked. A traffic-packed qualifying for the Brit saw her start from P3 — whilst far from bad, it was Pulling’s poorest qualifying of the year. Unsurprisingly, it had left her frustrated.
Come the race, a brilliant launch off the line was a sign that things would improve for the Alpine driver. Passing Maya Weug at the race start, Pulling made her way up to P2. She couldn’t quite get the upper hand on Mercedes rival Doriane Pin, but the solid point-scoring finish was more than enough — clinching the 18 points necessary to secure the title, and becoming the second ever F1 Academy champion.
Understandably, she was ecstatic.
Celebrating under the lights, Pulling had got the job done | Credit - Abbi Pulling via X
Pulling follows in the footsteps of Marta Garcia, the inaugural F1 Academy Champion. Though unlike the Spaniard, Pulling’s reward is a fully-funded GB3 season with current team Rodin Motorsport.
This comes as an immense relief for the 21-year-old, who has struggled to compete in prior championships due to lack of funding:
"It's been a tougher season than most things. Going into the year, I had no choice but to win. I've struggled financially in the past and to get the prize for next year,” she paused. “I know it's so early to talk about next year, but that makes me so happy and incredibly proud.”
"All my family, all the sacrifices my dad made. It's just a sigh of relief."
After a season of incredible performances, Pulling will continue to receive support from F1 Academy well into the future, alongside worldwide encouragement from her fans. We wish her the best of luck for the rest of the F1 Academy season, and in GB3.
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