Interview
‘I’ve got one hand on the trophy’ – Pulling adamant she 'won't back down' with F1 ACADEMY title in reach
The 2024 F1 ACADEMY title is Abbi Pulling’s to lose — that’s a fact that the Alpine driver herself can’t deny as the final two rounds of the season loom on the horizon.
A phenomenal run of seven wins, seven pole positions, four clean sweeps and a further three podium finishes have solidified her grip on top of the Drivers’ Standings, a position she’s held since the end of Round 1.
With the Briton 95 points clear of Doriane Pin, Pulling is in the enviable position of knowing that an 18-point haul across the remaining four races is all she needs to secure the title, regardless of how her nearest rival performs.
Crucially, that means she could wrap it all up at the earliest opportunity by the end of Race 1 in Qatar. Although glory is within her grasp, Pulling says she isn’t taking anything for granted and she’ll do everything she can to prevent it slipping out of her fingers at the final hurdle.
“I’m in a great position in the Standings,” she acknowledged during in-season testing in Abu Dhabi. “I’ve got one hand on the trophy at this point, I’m not getting ahead of myself. Of course, I know that it’s all tough and even coming into this test, I’ve kept myself grounded.
“Even though we’ve been really fast, this is just testing. It could be completely different in the race weekend, so I’m making sure myself and the team keep our wits about us.
“It can’t come around sooner to be honest. I just want to get into the weekend as soon as possible (…) I want to win the Drivers’ title and we’re in a good position to do that, but also, whatever happens in Qatar happens. I won’t back down, I’m still going to be trying to go for race wins no matter what because I want to give the team the best possible chance of taking both titles at the end of the season.”
As the most experienced of the Rodin Motorsport trio of herself, Jessica Edgar and Lola Lovinfosse, Pulling has come into her own this year as a team leader.
The linchpin of their results, the Alpine driver has been responsible for 87% of the team’s 280-point haul so far. By contrast, Pin and third-place Maya Weug have amassed 52% and 41% of PREMA Racing’s total, respectively, and helped them into the lead of the Teams’ Standings.
“I just need to keep doing what I’m doing but also continue to carry on helping my teammates in the simulator, as well as trackside,” Pulling explained. “Giving them any advice that they need or want and keep setting fast data for them because at the end of the day, you only know what the limit is when you see it.
“Weekends like this, where you’re able to top every session, they can see where the time is and know where they’re chasing. It can be tough when you don’t know where the time is, so I’m really glad to help them in that aspect.
“I think that’s where PREMA have had the advantage all season. They’ve had two of them pushing each other on, whereas with the likes of Singapore, I had to work it out for myself. So, I think people don’t think about that — not to discredit anyone and anything — but I’ve been predominantly the one at the front and comparing to myself a lot of the time and trying to figure things out for myself.
“Whereas those two can push each other on, I’m quite proud of what I’ve done in the situation that I’m in —how me and my engineer work in maximising everything, figuring things out and seeing what’s best and what doesn’t work.”
Self-assured and determined to lift herself and the team up, the 21-year-old believes her approach to her sophomore campaign will bode well going forward.
“I’ve really enjoyed it,” Pulling remarked. “I think I’m a bit of a team leader in that regard and it’s been a pleasure to help the team in the margins in the setup and in the driving. Seeing where we can push that extra little bit or we’ll find a little bit of extra time trying different things.
“That’s some of the things in racing and this year, what I’ve actually enjoyed the most is just figuring it out. Being adaptable I think is the biggest strength for a racing driver and this year, I think that’s been something I’ve really nailed and I’m quite proud of myself for that.”
The stakes couldn’t be higher for Pulling, with the 2024 Champion earning a seat in the GB3 Championship next year with Rodin.
Striving to make the longed-for step up the single-seater ladder and to give herself an early Christmas present, she won’t rest for a second until the title is hers.
“To be crowned Champion would just be incredible,” Pulling reflected. “All the years of hard work paying off and all the opportunities being made worthwhile.
“Everyone that’s helped me along the way, it’s all thanks to them and especially Rodin Motorsport for running me this year, Rodin Cars and supported by Alpine as well. There are a lot of different people in my corner and I can’t thank them enough.
“We’ve got to get to the end of the season first and see what happens. I’ve gone into too many Christmases not knowing what I’m doing the next season, so I’m as hungry as ever to make sure I secure the top step and make my winter a little less stressful.”