Photo by Pauline Ballet – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
The F1 Academy driver was dominant, and nearly ‘perfect’ in Miami
The most dominant driver in Miami this past weekend at the Miami Grand Prix?
None other than Abbi Pulling.
Alpine’s F1 Academy driver qualified in pole position for both F1 Academy races in Miami, and won both in dominant fashion, finishing over five seconds ahead of Dorine Pin in the first race, and nearly four seconds clear of Bianca Bustamante in the second race. When the final points were tallied, Pulling secured all but one possible point, extending her F1 Academy Championship lead.
The driver described it as an almost “perfect” weekend.
“It was almost a perfect weekend, scoring 57 out of a possible 58 points,” said Pulling in the team’s media report, released Wednesday. “We extended the championship by 34 points, which sets us up nicely for Spain in just under two months.”
Pulling described how the entire team was locked in from the start.
“From the start of the weekend, we showed we had pace and secured double pole in Qualifying. In Race 1 it was lights to flag at the front, we put on our best [tires] and the car set up was great which meant we were able to pull a five second gap by the [checkered] flag.”
Pulling outlined how in the second race, a huge challenge was holding Bustamante off at the start. “Starting from pole again for Race 2, I knew the car next to me had new [tires] whilst I did not, so it was definitely going to be a challenge. It was about keeping the car behind at the start, and I managed to get my elbows out and do that. From there it was a copy and paste from the first race.”
When I spoke with Pulling ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, the Alpine driver outlined her expectations for the week in South Beach. “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 during an exclusive interview last month. “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.”
Pulling absolutely made the most of everything that was thrown at her in Miami, putting together a nearly flawless performance.
“It was a dream weekend in Miami,” concluded Pulling on Wednesday. “A huge thank you to all my partners, Alpine and Rodin Motorsport for the unforgettable race weekend.”
Pulling, and the entire F1 Academy, returns to action at next month’s Spanish Grand Prix.
