Interview
EXCLUSIVE: ‘I'm not here to get the participation trophies‘ – Pulling on her GB3 return, ‘killer mentality’ and fighting for her future
Abbi Pulling worked tirelessly to get back on the GB3 Championship grid this season, but it’s now or never for the Briton to prove she deserves a promotion up the road to Formula 1.
However, to get there she’ll have her work cut out for her with new competitors, an upgraded car and the constant scrutiny to contend with. Yet Pulling’s determined to be judged on performance alone, not perception — and she’s clear she’s not back to simply make up the numbers.
The 23-year-old’s off-season has been far from quiet, balancing GB3 testing alongside Formula E rookie appearances for Nissan in Miami and Madrid – sharing the track with ex-F1 drivers, a Formula 2 Champion and F2 and F3 race winners and a DTM Champion.
Enjoying a brief moment of respite and surrounded by her trophies, the 2024 F1 ACADEMY Champion sat down to talk through her feelings ahead of the 2026 campaign getting underway at Silverstone this weekend.
AN UNFULFILLED DEBUT
Pulling’s progression to GB3 wasn’t without its bumps and her results paled into comparison to the previous season’s highs. She came into the Championship on the back of her unstoppable run to the F1 ACADEMY title — where she recorded nine wins, 10 pole positions and podiumed in every race.
That triumph carried its own challenge, piling the weight of expectation on her shoulders. While her maiden podium at Race 3 in Brands Hatch made headlines, as Pulling became the Championship’s first female podium finisher, it was a bittersweet consolation prize. Ending the year 10th in the Standings with that solitary podium was a tough reality to accept.
“You say flashes of success, I don't necessarily see last year like that,” Pulling admits. “Even though I got a podium, there's no hiding it was a reverse grid podium. I'm not here to get the participation trophies. I'm here to try and get the main things.
“Although there were good bits, I’m very aware that I could have done better. I’ve gone into this year fully reset, it’s really great working with the team again at Rodin Motorsport. It's been a bit of a graft, to say the least, to secure this position on the grid, so a huge thank you to all of my partners that have made it possible.”
The hard moments are where you learn from.
Discouraged at times with how the campaign was unfolding, Pulling has at least learnt from the setbacks to not let them spiral into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
“I would have loved last year to have been a breeze, but it wasn’t,” she says. “The hard moments are where you learn from. It just felt like one hard moment after another last year, I felt like I couldn't get a break.
“It's trying to break that cycle and that actually I can get a break, I can do this and not all is bad. I'm very lucky to be doing what I'm doing and sometimes I think I got a bit frustrated for prolonged periods of time.”
‘I FELT RIGHT AT HOME STRAIGHT AWAY’
From the outside, her Tatuus MSV GB3-025 car doesn’t look that different. However, beneath the chassis is where it counts, with an aerodynamic upgrade and a new engine designed to provide a 25% increase in torque.
The result — the fastest time of testing was over 2.4s quicker than the best time from last year. Pulling is relishing the change and it’s shown on the timesheets, with the Briton a regular fixture inside the top five across the four pre-season tests.
“It’s a lot faster than last year,” comments Pulling. We can really commit to corners, as well as the fact that we're travelling at a greater speed because of the engine. The faster you go, the more downforce you create.
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“It’s an absolute dream to drive. It’s a beast, you can just commit to everything. Last year, I thought it had a lot of downforce, but this year it feels three or four times more. It’s a little bit of a different driving style with a few really small things that add up throughout a lap, but I felt right at home straight away.”
She adds: “We're always there in the ballpark and that's what you need when fighting for Championships. I do feel like a different person going into this year. I feel like there’s a bit of a weight off my shoulders and I'm driving more freer and happier.”
CHALLENGING AT THE FRONT
When it comes to knowing what it will take to become the Champion, Pulling has first-hand experience. Her Rodin Motorsport teammate Alex Ninovic secured the title last year with three races to spare.
Exactly where Pulling will stack up in the pecking order remains to be seen, but there’s no uncertainty about where she believes she can be.
“Expectations I have no clue,” she admits. “Ambition-wise, I want to be fighting at the front. I want to be fighting for trophies and not just in the reverse grids. Even though it brings positive media for me, it annoys me a little bit because I know it’s not the race I want to be getting trophies in.
The ambition is to be fighting for the top three at least.
“From what we’ve done in testing so far, it looks like I can be properly in the running to try and battle for the title. The ambition is to be fighting for the top three at least. With my experience and how comfortable and confident I’m feeling at the moment, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be possible. It’s just going to take quite a lot of discipline from myself.”
Kicking the 2026 campaign off at Silverstone is a welcome return for Pulling. The first of five Grand Prix venues on the eight-round calendar, she qualified fourth and sixth on debut last year despite suffering setbacks in Qualifying.
Eventually recording two top-six finishes, Pulling believes the pace is there for more a second time around as she works on finetuning her performance.
Eventually recording two top-six finishes, Pulling believes the pace is there for more a second time around as she works on finetuning her performance.
“Silverstone suits my driving style a lot,” she explains. “I feel quite comfortable there. I’ve done some additional work on the simulator with Rodin, making sure that some of the little areas that I need to work on I’ve got in my bank.
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“Racing at home, it’s something that I never got in F1 ACADEMY, so it’s nice to revisit the British tracks. I’m feeling good, I just need to keep in this and not think about it too much. It’s when I have time off and I’m thinking, that’s normally when it goes wrong.”
HAVING THAT KILLER MENTALITY
As an F1 ACADEMY Champion and one of the few women racing at this level, Pulling knows the standards shift. Her successes are celebrated, but her mistakes are magnified, adding pressure to deliver not only for herself but for other female racers aspiring to move up the single-seater ladder.
“There was a lot of expectation on last year,” Pulling acknowledges. “Although this is my second year, so technically there should be more expectation, I feel less pressure and freer in my mindset. There are a lot of eyes on you when you're the F1 ACADEMY Champion.
“Not all people have positive opinions, people just expect you to go into things and absolutely nail it. Then as soon as you don't nail it, people are very quick to say you are overrated or so on.
“It’s making sure I know my value and reminding myself that I deserve to be here. It's imposter syndrome to an extent. I had it a bit last year, which I've never said before. I probably even during last year said ‘no, I didn't have it’, but over the winter I’ve realised I probably had a bit of imposter syndrome last year.
“My goal of the year is to be more arrogant. I know what I can do and I know what I’m feeling in the car when things are right and when things are not. It’s making sure that I have that killer mentality.”
I’m someone that’s my own biggest critic and can very quickly get quite frustrated at myself.
“People forget that there’s a human behind the helmet,” she continues. “I’m just doing my best and trying to use the cards I’ve been dealt to show that we can compete at the front. I’m not going to win every race I compete in — no one does.
“But if I can be as close as I can to the front and get the most out of myself every single time, then I'll be satisfied. Last year, I think I missed the mark a little bit. Some things in my control, quite a few things out of my control and I just let it get to me.
“I’m someone that’s my own biggest critic and can very quickly get quite frustrated at myself. I have good days and bad days of managing it. It’s a tool that I’m still working on that’s in my belt.”
‘I SHOULDN’T BE THE EXCEPTION’
Pulling isn’t the only woman racing at this level, with Aurelia Nobels alongside her in GB3 and Bianca Bustamante in Eurocup-3. Only Japanese racer Juju Noda competes in a higher competition, contesting the 2026 Super Formula Championship.
Above her, the gap is glaring. Only one female driver, Sophia Flörsch, has raced and scored points in F3. It’s a fact Pulling is all too aware of and a reality she’s determined to change.
I want to create a legacy and be remembered as the person that made it normal that there’s a female competing at the front in a mixed category
Reflecting on her efforts to race this season, she says: “It’s a testament to how hard I’ve worked during the off-season. It’s been a bit of a grind to make sure that I can sign on the dotted line and that I’m racing this year. I just want to show at heart that I’m a racing driver and not here to make up the numbers.
“Whatever’s behind the helmet doesn’t matter, we can compete. I want to create a legacy and be remembered as the person that made it normal that there’s a female competing at the front in a mixed category — I shouldn’t be the exception.
“It’s quite scary to think that this could be my last year in single-seaters. After that, there’s no female in FIA F3, F2 or F1. I want to be the one that normalises it, so people don’t say ‘she’s doing good for a girl’, she’s just a racing driver. That’s the key thing for me.”
Fortunately, in the long-term, a new wave of drivers is coming through. This season, 11 rookies feature on the F1 ACADEMY grid and the inaugural F1 ACADEMY Rookie Test exemplified the wealth of talent on the horizon. Meanwhile, former F1 ACADEMY DISCOVER YOUR DRIVE karters Luna Fluxá, Chiara Bättig and Ella Hakkinen have all progressed into single-seaters with F1 team backing from Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren, respectively.
However, it will take time for that to channel through the ranks. Stressing the importance of continuing that momentum, Pulling is focused on leaving no question as to whether she deserves to make the step up.
“It’s crazy and sad to say the least,” she says of the lack of female drivers competing beyond the F4-level. “In a couple of years’ time, it will change. There weren’t many girls at the age we are, but there’s a lot more 10 to 15 or 16-year-olds. That pool is growing, which means in a couple of years there’ll be more, but there’s a weird limbo in between.
“At the end of the day, it’s driven on results. If I’m finishing at the back, I don’t expect to receive the support. Last year, I didn’t necessarily do enough to warrant going up the ladder. This year, I’m hellbent on making sure that I show that I’m capable of moving up to F3 and to get there on merit.”
HER ADVICE TO THE NEXT GENERATION
At a time when her future looked uncertain, F1 ACADEMY proved to be a beacon of hope. Praising the series’ work in opening doors for the young female drivers, Pulling cautions her successors on the grid to make the most of it by putting in the effort behind the scenes as well as on-track.
“There’s more opportunity now than ever for females in motorsport. It’s about making sure it doesn’t become so accessible that people take it for granted because I think that can happen very easily when you’re handed fully-funded seats at F4-level.
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“It isn’t a normal thing and people need to remember it is a privilege to get something like F1 ACADEMY come along and keep people’s careers going or to excel someone’s career (…) Making sure people don’t get complacent, that’s probably one of my biggest fears.
“Things don’t just happen, you have to make it happen. I think younger generations just expect things to happen and get given to them. You’ve got to remember you’ve got to work for it. Even when you think you’re doing the most or doing enough, there’s someone out there working harder so keep pushing yourself.”
‘IT’S QUITE EASY TO OVERLOOK ME’
While Pulling’s off-track efforts paid off with a seat for this season, she credits her position to the fans that have backed her throughout.
“A lot of why I’m on the grid is down to the fans,” notes Pulling. “I’ve released my merch, mini helmets and released a package where you can pay a bit extra and be on my race car. On my front wing, there are tonnes of names of people who have bought into this.
“I’m super lucky to have had that continued support and people that tune into every race weekend or on my socials and just keep an eye on what I’m up to. It’s so nice to have such a positive community because social media can be a scary place.
“I try not to fill the world with anything negative. Although people could be critical of what I do, of my results or on-track stuff, regardless of that I just try and be positive.”
It’s not the first time Pulling has faced an uncertain future, having to withdraw mid-season from her 2021 British F4 campaign. W Series and later F1 ACADEMY proved to be a lifeline, but she knows too well that second chances don’t come around often, so you can’t afford not to seize them.
At 23, she recognises that she’s got lots of competition as teams look for the next big star, but after sampling the old F3 car back in 2022 — a day she’s never forgotten about — Pulling is resolved to do all she can to get there.
“There was a point last year I thought it’s looking like the journey’s over,” she remarks. but then after a lot of work, this is another shot at it. I feel like I’ve got to run with it, leave everything on the table and leave no regrets. If it’s the last, it’s the last.
I think we need that representation in F3 (...) I think I can be that woman.
“I’d like to think I’d still manage to compete in single-seaters, but I think we need that representation in F3. Not just someone that competes in F3, but someone that gets points and can by the end of the year be at the front or even potentially getting podiums and top-fives.
“I think I can be that woman. It’s just convincing everyone else that matters and is pivotal to my career that that’s the case. If I have a successful year, I don’t see why people would overlook me. With a lot more younger talent coming in, I do feel like it’s quite easy to overlook me and put your eggs in a different basket. I hope I can just let my results speak for themselves.”
Now she’s focused on putting together the kind of year that makes her impossible to ignore. Based on what she delivered in F1 ACADEMY, her rivals underestimate Abbi Pulling at their peril.