F1 ACADEMY champion Abbi Pulling reflects on her title-winning season

It was a near-perfect season for Alpine Academy racer Abbi Pulling, who clinched the F1 ACADEMY title with a margin of 121 points over her nearest rival. Across the 14 rounds, Abbi dominated the campaign with ten pole positions, nine wins and five other podium finishes. In her second season racing in F1 ACADEMY, the 21-year-old started the year in style, winning in Jeddah and then scoring double wins in Miami and Singapore.

 

 

She wrapped up the championship crown with two races to spare and will embark on the GB3 Championship in 2025 as she continues her journey up the motorsport ladder. As this year’s season draws to a close, we caught up with Abbi to discuss her successful campaign and to talk about the vital role both Formula 1 and the BWT Alpine Formula One Team have had on her title-winning year.

 

Q. Congratulations Abbi on a terrific season. Ten poles, nine wins, five other podiums across the 14 rounds. It looked easy, but just how difficult was it to become F1 ACADEMY champion in 2024?

 

 

Abbi Pulling: “Thank you, yes, it definitely wasn't easy. There’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of hours and late nights on the simulator to get to this point. There have also been lots of discussions with my engineer as well. I'm so proud that we can finally say that we’ve done what we set out to achieve.

 

 

“It's been an incredible season to do it in such fashion too. Throughout the year, I’ve had the confidence in myself and my driving, but there's so many things in motor sport that can happen which are outside of your control. The key is to focus on what you can manage and maybe, when I look back to the year before, I let things that weren’t in my control get to me a little bit too much. This year, it’s been about maximising everything I can do.”

 

 

Q. From the outside, it looks like it’s been a relatively error-free season, has it?

 

 

AP: “To be honest, I don’t think people realise how much you can do with these cars. There is a lot the team can do in terms of setup, especially with bringing the tyre into the right operating window. In the race where I won the title in Qatar, for example, I had significantly more left-rear graining than my rivals. It was quite hard to manage as I very nearly spun on the last lap…

 

 

“But at some tracks, you might find that rival teams have been able to figure out the setup quicker than others. But for most of the season we have been absolutely on top of it and the team have given me a great car. And for me, my personal highlights of the season were in Miami and Singapore, where we won both races from pole position and maximised everything we could.”

 

Q. Tell us about the support you’ve had from Alice Powell?

 

 

AP: “Alice has been a brilliant mentor for me this season. She is obviously very experienced — the first woman to score points in GP3 — and she has gone through quite a similar career to mine. For example, when she ran out of funding, that is something I can relate to. I was fortunate in that I’ve been able to continue, but she had to stop racing. She’s also been instrumental in my work in the Alpine Academy.”

 

Q. How important is it that F1 ACADEMY has been recognised by the ten Formula 1 teams this year, and more specifically, tell us about the importance of the relationship with the BWT Alpine Formula One Team?

 

 

AP: “F1 ACADEMY Managing Director Susie Wolff has done an incredible job to get the ten Formula 1 teams to support the series. The willingness of each organisation to be involved and to be on the grid and champion female racers has been fantastic. I’ve been a part of the Alpine Academy since 2022 and it was a natural fit to go into F1 ACADEMY with this team.

 

 

“It’s been such a pleasure to be associated with the BWT Alpine Formula One Team and to have their support. They’ve also shown me what I need to do behind the scenes, whether that’s from a physical perspective in the gym or mental focus, to ensure I can be as well-prepared as I can be for the next step. It’s also great that F1 ACADEMY races take place on the same weekend as Formula 1 so I can support them too.”

 

Q. It’s also important that F1 ACADEMY is given the platform for young racers to look up to you and see you as a role model too…

 

 

AP: “Yes, it validates everything the championship is striving to achieve. They are showing the next generation that you can be a woman in motorsport. Even if it’s not a racing driver, you can be a mechanic or engineer or go into any role within the industry — and have a big impact on the team you work for. It’s incredible what F1 ACADEMY is doing in that respect. And I often say, if it’s not me that gets to Formula 1, I hope it’s someone watching who I’ve inspired along the way.”

 

Q. Finally, as a prize for winning the F1 ACADEMY title, you get to move into British GB3 Championship next year with Rodin?

 

 

AP: “That’s right and it’s great to be able to stay within the team that took me to the F1 ACADEMY championship crown this past year. The team have a strong history in the championship and they even won in GB3 in 2024 too. I’m looking forward to next year, with familiar faces, and I can’t wait to get started again after the winter break.”