Abbi Pulling on F1 Academy growth, the Miami GP, and cowboy boots

SB Nation spoke with the F1 Academy star about her start to the season, racing in the United States, and her passions away from the track

Currently, Alpine has a driver atop the Championship standings in their racing series.

Her name is Abbi Pulling, and she drives for Alpine and Rodin Motorsport in the F1 Academy.

Now in its second year, the all-female F1 Academy looks to level the playing field in single-seater racing, with all ten F1 teams now sponsoring a driver who races in their livery. Pulling, as a member of the Alpine driver academy, is the team’s representative in the series.

This year’s F1 Academy season began in Saudi Arabia, the week of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. One of the other changes to F1 Academy this season is that the series is now aligned with the F1 schedule, with each F1 Academy race weekend coinciding with an F1 grand prix. That was a particularly strong weekend for Pulling, who certainly began the year on the front foot.

I got the chance to chat with Pulling last week, ahead of the second race weekend of the F1 Academy season, set for Miami during the Miami Grand Prix. Over 30 minutes Pulling taught me more about motorsports than I ever knew.

Starting the year on top

In a few weeks the F1 Academy will head to Miami for the second race weekend of the season, and when that happens Pulling will find herself in a fascinating position.

Atop the Championship standings.

Pulling got off to a strong start in Saudi Arabia, finishing second in the first race of the season. Then in the second race at Jeddah Pulling came across second, again behind Doriane Pin, driving under the Mercedes flag.

But a post-race investigation into Pin’s cooldown lap was soon commenced, after Pin took the checkered flag not once, but twice, at racing speeds. After that investigation — and a podium celebration that had Pin on the top step — the stewards handed down a penalty that resulted in Pin dropping to ninth place.

That resulted in a promotion to P1 for Pulling. While it was not the celebration on the top step of the podium she might have hoped for her first win of the 2024 campaign, she took the most optimistic view possible.

“Yeah, it was really strange,” said Pulling when I asked her about getting promoted to P1. “It’s obviously not how I want to really win races. Absolutely, I want to do all my talking on track. But then I’ll take the points where I can.”

“I was watching the Formula One race in Alpine’s garage, actually, and I knew that there was an investigation happening. It ended up being on the the last lap of the checkered flag of the Formula One that it all got announced that I’d won and all the fireworks went off for the Grand Prix that had finished.

“And I was like, ‘they’re basically just celebrating me,’” she joked, offering another glimpse of her playful side.

In terms of starts to a season, wrapping up the first week of the campaign atop the Championship standings is as good as it gets.

You might describe it as perfect.

“I mean, it’s been almost perfect,” said Pulling when I asked her about the start of her year. “Coming away Championship leader.”

“I didn’t really go into the season with any expectations.” added Pulling. “I think a big thing for me this year was to take a lot of pressure off my own shoulders, as I’m my own biggest critic. And it’s just reinforcing that throughout the season to be honest, not getting getting too ahead of myself, and just maintaining what we did at the first race weekend.”

That first weekend saw Pulling and the rest of the F1 Academy grid tackle the tricky and challenging Jeddah Corniche Circuit, a street course that is far from forgiving. For Pulling, taking on that course might have been the best part of the week. And her answer gives you a perfect window into the fearlessness it takes to win on the track.

“God, I think just driving around the Jeddah Circuit,” said Pulling when I asked her just what the best part of the start to the year has been. “To be honest, it was a really, really fun track. A street circuit, of course. There’s so little room for error … they’re really unforgiving. And I think that’s exactly what street circuits are about. So unforgiving, little room for errors.

“And I think that’s why I loved it so much.”

Something else Pulling loved? The support for F1 Academy to start the season. Now in its second campaign, this year of the F1 Academy sees all ten F1 teams supporting a driver, who competes under their branding and in their livery, as Pulling does with Alpine. This season has also brought more coverage — and therefore more attention — to the series.

“In terms of preparing for the season, as well as the growth of F1 Academy and the excitement for it,” said Pulling when I asked her about the difference in year two of the F1 Academy. “It’s definitely got more eyes on it, last year wasn’t really aired anywhere. There was certainly no live coverage … It’s the Formula One support package, you can’t get any better than that.”

The evolution of the F1 Academy is, in many ways, in line with the continued growth of women’s sports.

“It’s been it’s been really, really great to see the championship evolve,” added Pulling.

“I’m just looking forward to to seeing how it keeps progressing throughout the year. Really. And [seeing it] getting bigger and bigger and just becoming a bigger part of the conversational topic about women in sport.”

Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

Pulling’s journey to F1 Academy

The conversation then turned to Pulling’s racing journey. I had solicited some questions for the Alpine driver on social media — shoutout to my friends on F1 Threads — and one reader in particular was curious about Pulling’s journey to F1 Academy.

So instead of hearing it from me, here is her racing journey, in her own words.

“So I started karting myself at the age of eight, but my dad, obviously I was following my dad around on the on the motorbikes. I just progressed through karting, went into British championships,” said Pulling.

Her father, Andy, competed at the club level in motorcycle circuit endurance racing.

“Then when I was, I think 12, 13 years old, I went into a class called Junior TKM. So it’s a different engine. Became a manufacturer driver for the the chassis and engine. They won two British titles. This is all in mixed competition,” said Pulling. “So it’s quite a prestigious thing to do.

“And, I was it only the first female to win the championship, But I was the first person in general to win it back to back. So that was something that that I’m very, very proud of.”

It should be noted that some recognizable names came through the Super 1 National Junior TKM Championship, including Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, David Coulthard and Alexander Albon.

Having won titles in both 2017 and 2018, Pulling faced a career choice. What was the next step?

“And then it was kind of, you know, where do we go from here? What’s the next thing that I can do? And we made the the step into cars, and [eventually] went to British F4.”

Pulling made her debut in F4 during the 2020 season, starting her single-seater journey racing for JHR Developments. She notched four podium finishes that year, and finished sixth in the standings. She was on track for perhaps an even better finish in 2021, but that is when funding ran out.

Thankfully she found a new ride.

“I ran out of funding throughout the [2021] season, so it was cut short. But then I was very lucky that the the W Series was a championship at the time, and they picked me up as a reserve driver, and I finished the season with them and then continued to compete with them in 2022. Unfortunately, they ended up ending the the series,” outlined Pulling.

That’s when the F1 Academy came onto the scene. Launched in 2023, and with the backing of F1 teams, the F1 Academy looked to level the playing field, providing the financial backing for drivers like Pulling who are aiming to continue moving up the racing ranks.

“And, you know, here I am now in in F1 Academy, competing for a second year. So yeah, it’s come full circle. And I’m back racing,” said Pulling.

“I’ve got a bit of unfinished business there. Definitely.”

In the eyes of many observers, Pulling is among the drivers with a chance at breaking F1’s glass ceiling. While this F1 Academy season is just beginning, Pulling certainly has her eyes set higher in the racing chain. When we discussed her training regimen — more on that in a moment — she discussed F3.

I asked her if that was the next step.

“Yeah, 1000%,” was the immediate reply.

“Formula Three is is the next jump, whether it’s the British Formula Three championship, FIA Formula Three. Or there’s even kind of a midpoint called Formula Regional. There’s a few different options. It’s just weighing them up, seeing which one is doable,” she added.

“It’s obviously a big financial commitment. Hopefully my driving on track speaks for itself. Physically, I think I’m ready,” Pulling continued. “I’ve been at kind of a similar level for a few years, So I think, you know, I’m ready for the challenge.”

Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images

The art of racing

While I treasured every moment of our conversation, the most fascinating part to me when when Pulling dove deep into the art of racing.

It started with a question I am trying to ask every driver this year: What is the one thing you wish people like me knew about racing? After all, not everyone has attempted a three-point shot with a defender in their face tried to read a defense with a blitz coming their way, or tried to hit a curveball.

But most people have driven a car.

“I think people don’t realize how physical it is,” when I asked her that question. “A lot of people will say, ‘you know, you’re only turning the wheel and pushing pedals,’ and they compare it to their road car.”

Race cars are certainly not road cars, as Pulling aptly described to me.

“And yeah, if you’re in GT or so on and so forth, they have power steering, and it’s easier in that aspect. But then we don’t have air conditioning, you know, we don’t have things like that in single-seaters. We don’t have power steering until you get to Formula One, so the steering is very heavy.

“The brake pressure that you have to hit is, I mean, it gets up to 120 bar. So in F4, it’s a little lower, but it can be really, really, really hard,” added Pulling. “And again, nothing like what you’d have in your average road car.”

Doing that throughout a race is certainly not like your Sunday drive to the grocery store.

“So I think that could be taken for granted pretty often. Even the stamina and endurance you need. F1 Academy is a 30 minute race. It’s more of a sprint kind of race. But when you get to F3, and F2, and F1, the race is longer than an hour,” added Pulling. “So that’s when you really need to have the mental capacity and strength to keep going and keep focused, but also just the physical strength as well.”

The training required to build that mental and physical strength is extensive. But in describing her training regime Pulling taught me yet another of the many lessons she shared when we talked.

Train for the ride you want, not the ride you have.

“The F1 Academy car is not too too physical for me at the moment, because I’m training for the step ahead. As a racing driver, you always train for the next step,” explained Pulling.

“So I’m training at an F3 level. So when or if I was driving that car, I wouldn’t be struggling,” added Pulling. “The last thing you want as a driver is to be restricted from your physical abilities rather than your actual technical and your actual skill.”

Thankfully, Pulling has someone in her corner who makes it fun, if not easy, when putting in the work.

“So for me, it’s lots of upper body work. There’s low power steering as you move up [in levels] and the more aero downforce, bigger tires, it gets harder and harder. Then, yeah, balancing that with some cardio and obviously lower body as well is quite important.

“But I think making your programs fun as well is something that Alpine does really well,” continued Pulling. “Dave Thompson [Alpine’s Head of Human Performance], he writes my programs there and yeah, he makes them fun and engaging as well.”

Our discussion then turned from training for the track, to racing on it. I asked Pulling to describe Jeddah for me, and she dove into some of the more technical elements of racecraft incredibly.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s such a tight track,” started Pulling. “It’s one thing just driving around the track. But when you’re on the limit and you’re really, really pushing, there’s so little room for error and, you know, one slight lock up or a little bit of oversteer that you don’t quite catch right, can send you in a wall.

“And it’s, you know, obviously the last thing that you want.”

Thankfully for Pulling, Jeddah is a circuit she knows well.

“I think I’ve grown up with it. So for me, you know, I jumped there and I got it switched on and was pretty pretty in tune with the track early on,” added Pulling.

“But just for an average person who has never really been on a track before, the last place you’d probably give them their first time in a car would be would be a track like Jeddah. You’d probably want somewhere with a bit more runoff. And yeah, it would be somewhere where if you do make a mistake, there’s less, less risk.”

Again, that fearlessness came through in a big way.

I then asked Pulling a question I had been dying to ask her since the interview was scheduled. I have interviewed quarterbacks, draft prospects, F1 drivers, and even F1 CEOs. But I have never seen a subject’s eyes light up like Pulling’s when I asked her what it is like to race at Monza.

“See, Monza is a really different track,” started Pulling, eyes still lit up. “You almost think ‘Oh, it’s gonna be, you know, pretty simple, pretty easy, because it’s three chicanes and one kind of mid-speed corner.’

“But it’s so much more than that.”

Much more than that, as she described. And tougher at some of the lower levels for reasons I did not expect.

“You’ve got to really keep your momentum going. Especially in a car that is a little bit more underpowered on the straights,” continued Pulling. “You’ve just gotta make [the straights] as long as possible. You’ve just got to get on power as soon as possible and just use the momentum that you’ve got.”

And while Monza might not be as narrow as Jeddah, there is a similar margin for error.

As in, a non-existent one.

“And it’s a really fine, fine line. Overshoot the corner, and then you affect your exit and that’s just the lap ruined. As soon as you don’t get the exit, it’s just ruined. So yeah, you’ve just got to be very mentally switched on where you’re gaining and losing the time.”

And as a driver at this level, it is largely on yourself.

“Because you don’t have a delta [on your steering wheel or dash]. In F1 and other championships, you have a delta on your dash, whereas in this you don’t,” described Pulling. “So you’ve just got to be like, ‘OK, right? That exit wasn’t great. That entry wasn’t great’ or so on and so forth. And work it out from there.”

This is where I interject that F1 Academy cars can reach top speeds of 150 miles per hour. So, as a driver, you are figuring this out while rocketing around a track like Monza at a pace quicker than your usual Sunday drive.

Much quicker.

At this point I felt it was wise to ask Pulling what would be the one track she’d love to race on, that is not currently on the F1 Academy schedule. Given how technical she is as a driver, her response makes perfect sense.

“Probably Budapest,” said Pulling. “I raced there in 2022 and it was just such a fun track.

“It’s all kind of mid speed corners, a few a few slow ones, but it’s I think it’s quite quite a technical track. And, I also just like the place. The people were so friendly, the food was amazing. You know, it’s just all around. It’s a nice one to go to.”

Abbi Pulling … graphic designer

Race car drivers cannot spend every waking moment in the cockpit. Although for many, including Pulling, they would if they could.

Still, drivers often find interests away from the track. Lewis Hamilton is one of many drivers to find a home in the world of fashion, for example. Charles Leclerc has recently introduced “LEC,” a new line of ice cream available in Italy.

Is a line of ice cream in Pulling’s future?

Not yet, at least.

“Yeah, I think I don’t have my own ice cream. Not yet at least,”

However, while ice cream might not hold Pulling’s attention away from the track, there is something that does. Pulling is an incredible, self-taught graphic artist, on the cusp of releasing her line of merchandise that she designed.

“I really enjoy graphic design,” Pulling told me during our discussion. “So I do it in my spare time. Quite a lot, to be honest. A lot of my own branding.

“I’m actually doing my own merchandise at the moment, which is set to come out soon, hopefully. I just got to get it shipped to me at this point in time. But yeah, really, really kind of exciting stuff,” added Pulling. “And I’m so lucky that I understand how to do this. I’ve taught myself how to use these programs. It’s all the Adobe programs that I can do all my branding for myself and I have quite a good understanding of it.”

Adobe, if you’re reading this, you might want to reach out. There is a natural fit here.

While she finds the design work enjoyable, she also knows it pays off when she returns to the track, in a way.

“To be honest, it’s something that I think helps [on the track], it’s still motorsport related. And it’s still to do with me, and so on,” added Pulling. “It still, I think, uses that creative side of your brain, it just gets you thinking outside the box, and just distracts you. If anything else.”

Her merchandise line is coming soon, and the driver also views it as another way to connect with her legions of fans.

“I think it’s something that I really wanted to do for my fans. Because I’ve got so many supporters out there, and I don’t have any way for them to show it other than, you know, liking my posts on social media and so on and so forth,” described Pulling.

“So it’s just an extra way for them to support me and, you know, show their love in a different way and yeah, hoping to to get it all all sorted by Miami. But if not, it will be shortly after.”

Photo by Pauline Ballet – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

Going to Miami

Speaking of Miami, our long and fascinating conversation wound back to South Beach.

Again, in a few weeks Pulling and the rest of the F1 Academy will return to the grid, for the second week of the season down at Miami during the Miami Grand Prix. Only this time, Pulling will arrive atop the standings.

With everyone else chasing her.

That is a lot of pressure for a young driver, in a sport — and a world — filled with pressure. So when I asked Pulling about Miami and her expectations for the week, her initial response was something of a surprise, that can be traced to Austin, Texas.

“So last year, this is gonna sound really weird.

“So last year I got some cowboy boots at Austin gifted to me, and I’m really looking forward to wearing them in Miami because I’ve had no opportunity to wear cowboy boots.

“So I’m really looking forward to wearing my cowboy boots.”

There are other fascinating aspects to racing in Miami. This is not Pulling’s first time in South Beach, as she raced here in 2022 in the W Series. So she has experience with Miami on-the-track, and off.

“I was really lucky to to be there [in 2022]. And it was such an awesome event. You walk down the pit lane and you see, I don’t know … you see David Beckham,.And then you see Serena Williams, and you see someone that you don’t know who they are, but they look famous. It was just incredible.”

Of course, footwear and celebrities aside there is a track to drive, and races to win.

“The actual track itself is a very fun track. Yeah, a bit of a street circuit and I’m really looking forward to it. I really like the challenge of the street circuits.”

Pulling is also looking ahead to the support of the fans in the United States. Interest in F1 and F1 support series — including the F1 Academy — has exploded in recent years. Pulling, like the rest of the grid, appreciates the growth.

“I think it’s just the people, like it’s so raw and they have such a love for it,” said Pulling when asked about racing in the States. “It’s like as Brits, we’re so passionate about it, and it’s the same over in America. I really love going out there.”

Our discussion closed with a discussion of how Pulling, and the team, will approach the week down in Miami.

“I think it’s it’s really important to reinforce the kind of mindset that I had going into the first round. As an individual and as a team, we’re not getting ahead of ourselves,” said Pulling. “We’re keeping pretty grounded and focusing on the process of how to get the results rather than celebrating that we’re in the lead.

“I think that’s the right way of going about it because it’s a very long championship. It’s just been making ourselves better in in every way possible.”

“I’m really looking forward to just being back in the paddock, being back with Alpine and Rodin Motorsport,” added Pulling. “It’s a really fun track, and I think it’s got a lot of tight, winding corners, and I think that normally the technical stuff is where I excel.

“I’m trying to go in with weightless shoulders, not putting any pressure on myself and just, you know, coming out on the weekend thinking ‘I’ve made the most out of every everything that was thrown at me.’

“So that’s that’s the goal every time I’m hitting the track.”