Abbi Pulling opens up on move from F1 Academy to GB3: "It's not been easy"

2024 F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling has opened up on the challenges she has faced after moving from the all-female racing series to GB3.

After clinching the F1 Academy championship title last year with Rodin Motorsport and the support of the Alpine Formula 1 team, the British driver received a fully funded seat in GB3 with Rodin Motorsport as part of the F1 Academy prize.

The 22-year-old impressed in her debut race at Silverstone, where she qualified in fourth place and crossed the finish line in fifth place. 

"The jump from F1 Academy to GB3 is quite big. There's a lot of downforce so it's not been easy," Pulling explained to The Girls Who Eat, Breathe, And Dream Motorsport YouTube channel.

"But learning every time I get in the car. Working in a slightly bigger team - there's more personnel, and similar to here [Formula E] - although it's like triple the personnel I'm used to - it's a bigger operation.

"So it's exciting to then be pairing this with my GB3 campaign and working behind the scenes as a sim and rookie driver."

Alongside racing in GB3, Pulling also signed with the Nissan Formula E team as a rookie and simulator driver after she took part in the first women's test in November. The three-hour session was part of the 2024/25 Formula E pre-season testing schedule, and it gave female drivers the chance to drive the Season 11 GEN 3 Evo race car.

Abbi Pulling, Nissan Formula E Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

"It was super exciting and it was nothing like I'd ever experienced before," Pulling explained about the opportunity. "The electric power, the instant torque, was incredible. I mean, as soon as you put your foot down, it just went.

"I'm super excited to get back going again. And the sim work that we did was super productive."

She added, "For me personally, I just want to progress on where I was at the women's test. I've got some areas I need to work on. So that'll be the target."

Pulling also discussed how important the opportunity of the women's test was for her and others.

"I think it's huge. I mean, if it wasn't for the women's test, I don't know if I would have ever had the opportunity to do this rookie test and build the relationship with Nissan.

"So for me, what Jeff [Dodds] is doing and Formula E as a whole and how open-minded they are to having females involved is really nice. And then having this more extended partnership with Nissan, being the sim and rookie driver.

"I'm constantly learning and it gives me the opportunity to improve on myself and through the years, hopefully I make a big jump in my understanding of this car and how to drive it and get more competitive."