Feature
Lloyd, Pulling and Bustamante make their mark on Formula E’s Rookie Test in Berlin
Ella Lloyd and F1 ACADEMY alumni Abbi Pulling and Bianca Bustamante took to the track on Sunday, as the trio participated in the ABB Formula E World Championship’s Rookie Test in Madrid.
The one-day test at the Circuito del Jarama saw a 20-car field of some of the brightest young talents get behind the wheel of the all-electric GEN3 EVO machinery.
Driving for the Nissan Formula E team, Pulling was already well acquainted with their e-4ORCE car. Utilising her experience as the team’s Simulator and Development Driver, the 2024 F1 ACADEMY Champion quickly got on the pace.
A successful morning saw the Briton posted the eighth-fastest time with a 1:31.757, 1.5s off pacesetter and Formula 3 racer Théophile Naël. Alongside completing an intense test programme including race simulations, energy management and various set-up options in both 300 and 350kW power modes, Pulling continued to push on in the afternoon.
Posting a 1:30.708 in the final hour to finish ninth, the 23-year-old narrowly missed out on a top 10 spot in the combined classification.
Reflecting on the day, Pulling said: “Today went well, I’m proud of my efforts and really happy to have improved compared to my last time at this track. I hoped to be further up the timesheets in the afternoon session, but I know why I set almost the exact same time, so I can work on that in the simulator.
“To have two top-10s is a positive result. I’m not quite where I want to be but I felt comfortable in the car instantly and I’m pleased to be making more steps forward.”
On duty for CUPRA KIRO, Bianca Bustamante relished jumping back into the car after her previous appearances for the team at last year’s Berlin Rookie Test and Women’s Test. Progressing in her role as their Development Driver, she finished P16 and P17 across the six hours of running.
“We’ve had a really productive test here in Madrid, and it felt great to be back in the car after last driving in Valencia,” said Bustamante. “Working with CUPRA KIRO has been an incredibly rewarding journey so far, and from test to test, I feel like I’ve made good progress.
“It was also very valuable to continue to learn from Dan (Ticktum) and Pepe (Martí) across the weekend, and I was able to apply their insights across the day. I’m really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel in the future and to continue to build on what I’ve learned.”
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Ella Lloyd marked her second appearance for Envision Racing. The Welsh racer finished the morning down in P17, but her pace was more promising than the timesheets showed.
At one point, Lloyd was almost a second up on her previous 350kW lap, before a spin curtailed her attempt. Her afternoon performance proved to be similar in P18, but there were still encouraging signs for the 19-year-old, particularly with her 300kW laps comparable to Pulling’s.