Rodin Carlin has announced its second driver for the F1 Academy with former W Series driver Abbi Pulling joining the series.
Nineteen-year-old Brit Abbi Pulling has been announced as Rodin Carlin‘s second driver for the inaugural F1 Academy season. Pulling is the third driver from the W Series to be participating in F1 Academy and the sixth driver overall.
Pulling’s path to F1 Academy
Pulling made her single-seater debut in 2018 in the Ginette Junior Championship after winning the Super 1 National Junior TKM Championship. Finishing 21st in the standings with 62 points, Pulling spent the 2020 season racing in the British Formula Championship and finishing sixth with four podiums.
Retaining her seat in British F4 for the 2021 season, her performance dropped slightly as she finished 14th in the standings with three podiums. Later that year she made her W Series debut alongside her coach Alice Powell. After scoring pole position at the Austrian Grand Prix, she finished the weekend with a second-place finish and secured a full-time seat for 2022.
In 2022, Pulling joined the Alpine Affiliate program and became the first woman driver to test a Formula 1 car. Pulling finished fourth in the W Series campaign, scoring two podiums. In September, she participated in the all-female Formula 3 test. It was recently announced that Pulling would become a full-time member of the Alpine Academy for the 2023 season.
BREAKING: Abbi Pulling claims her spot on the grid! 👊
The @AlpineF1Team Academy driver will compete for @CarlinRacing in the inaugural F1 Academy season 🙌#F1Academy pic.twitter.com/rlPKMcVO2V
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) February 14, 2023
Following the announcement, Pulling stated:
“It is great to be competing in the first season of the F1 Academy, especially to be working with such a successful team as Rodin Carlin. Having spent time with the team before, I can’t wait to get the season started, working alongside some incredible people. I have lots of trust in them and know they will push me to be the best I can be.”
Stephanie Carlin (Team Principal of Rodin Carlin) added:
“We’re really excited that we are able to work on this programme together and have no doubt that Abbi will be a huge asset to the team. Thank you to the Alpine Academy for entrusting us with this next stage of Abbi’s career. We can’t wait to get on track.”
2023 F1 Academy Driver Lineup
- ART Grand Prix: Lena Buhler & Carrie Schreiner & TBD
- Campos Racing: Nerea Marti & TBD & TBD
- MP Motorsport: TBD & TBD & TBD
- PREMA Racing: Bianca Bustamante & TBD & TBD
- Rodin Carlin: Jessica Edgar & Abbi Pulling & TBD
