'Eight-year-old me would be gobsmacked'

Abbi Pulling is leading the F1 Academy Championship

Beating a man to the chequered flag isn't a goal Abbi Pulling is working towards; she's been doing that for years. It's the type of machinery she gets to cross the line in she's more concerned about.

And her sights are still firmly set on a Formula 1 car.

Backed by French F1 team Alpine since 2022, the 21-year-old from Lincolnshire has been working hard to climb the ladder in an attempt to become the first woman in almost 50 years to make it on to the world's most exclusive starting grid.

To get there she'll need not only skill - both physical and mental - but buckets of determination, a fair amount of luck and cash. Lots of it.

No pressure then.

"I definitely feel there are a lot of eyes on me," Pulling says as she stands outside the garage of the Nissan Formula E team at the Circuito del Jarama in Madrid, where she has just finished top of the timesheets at an all-female testing session.

"I think people have expectations of me. I just try to brush them off and focus on the job in hand. A happy Abbi is a fast Abbi."

It's a tactic that seems to have worked well for her this year.

Leading the F1 Academy Championship by 95 points with two races left, Pulling also made history in May as the first woman to win a British F4 race. She finished seventh overall for Rodin Motorsport, owing to several overlaps with the F1 Academy calendar.

"It was important to me to be able to achieve that win," she says. "It was so special and showed that no matter who I'm up against I can compete at the front."

Despite a promising sixth-place finish in the 2020 British F4 Championship, Pulling had to pull out the following year because of a lack of funding.

Returning to the competition this year with the necessary financial support and tasting success is bittersweet.

"I've been dealt the cards I've been dealt," she says.

'It's become a billionaire's club'

Like many drivers, securing and maintaining a steady flow of money and sponsors is what Pulling cites as the main barrier to her progression.

Despite the extra visibility the F1 Academy has given its drivers - with races held alongside F1 grands prix and broadcast live on Sky - Pulling says progress in securing financial backing has not necessarily made the same leaps.

"It's so hard to get, but it's not just me that struggles," she says, adding many male drivers fail to progress for financial reasons.

"It's becoming more and more a billionaire's club and I think it's quite sad. Because I think the focus on money ends up neglecting talent."

Despite financial setbacks, Pulling says she's happy with her current trajectory, and points out there are now more opportunities for women than ever before.

They include the F1 Academy, the FIA Girls on Track initiative, the all-female endurance race team the Iron Dames, and Formula E committing to offering testing opportunities for women.

"There's such a positive atmosphere around women in motorsport," says Pulling.

Asked whether her younger self would believe how far she's come, she adds: "I think little eight-year-old me would have been absolutely gobsmacked."

Pulling has won seven races so far this season

'Once the visor goes down, you're just another driver'

Pulling grew up around racetracks, watching her father Andy compete in motorbike endurance competitions. Her first motorsport memory is standing at one of the hairpin bends at Cadwell Park, waving to him every time he went past.

With a laugh, she says: "He said: 'You put me off on every single lap.' Now I race, I understand that probably wasn't the best thing to do!"

After first jumping into a kart at the age of eight, Pulling says she quickly knew she wanted to be a racer, though it was not until her early teens she realised she could make it into a real career.

"I got pretty good at it, started winning races, then started winning championships," she says. "We just kept looking at what the next step… and the rest is history."

Pulling says she was "blissfully ignorant" of the fact she was often the only girl on track, adding: "Once the visor goes down, you're just another driver who has every right to be there."

'Not ready for F3'

Formula 3 boss Bruno Michel said recently he does not expect any of the F1 Academy drivers to join F3 in 2025.

"Some of them, including Abbi Pulling, are very talented but they're not ready for F3," he told BBC Sport, "I would love to welcome the winner of the F1 Academy, but only if I think she can do well."

Pulling agrees, but hopes the new prize package on offer for the F1 Academy winner will help to bridge that gap.

This year's champion is set to receive a fully funded seat in British racing series GB3 with Rodin Motorsport for the 2025 season, as well as 20 days of testing.

"It's like Formula 3.5," Pulling says. "As long as I can finish this year strong and secure that prize, I'll have a much less stressful Christmas than in the past."

'I'm not the best female'

Despite great opportunities ahead, Pulling is fully aware her future is never guaranteed.

Last year's F1 Academy winner Marta Garcia announced recently that the final weekend of the Formula Regional (FRECA) event was likely to be her last single-seat race.

"I think it's sad," said Pulling, acknowledging she could suffer the same fate if she were to enter the GB3 Championship and fail to produce results.

"I want to show that I can be the best. I'm not there to be the best female. I'm there to be the best driver."