Rodin Motorsport driver Abbi Pulling has clinched the 2024 F1 Academy title after the opening race in Qatar, the penultimate round of the season.
Holding a 95-point advantage over nearest title rival Doriane Pin heading into the weekend, a P2 finish under the lights in Lusail on Saturday was enough for Pulling to win the series.
21-year-old Pulling competed in the ROKiT British F4 championship this year alongside her F1 Academy campaign, missing only two rounds at Donington Park GP and Silverstone National due to clashes in the calendar.
Despite missing six races, she finished seventh in the overall standings with three podium finishes – including an historic victory at Brands Hatch Indy, where she became the first ever female driver to win a British F4 race.
2024 was Pulling’s third season in British F4; she finished sixth and claimed four podiums with JHR Developments in 2020, but in 2021 had to withdraw after six rounds – having already finished on the podium three times – due to budget issues.
The inaugural F1 Academy season in 2023 saw Pulling finish fifth overall with seven podiums. This year, she has dominated the series, with seven wins, 11 podiums and seven pole positions, and could still break the record for most wins in a season, as last year’s champion Marta García finished her campaign with seven wins.
Additionally, courtesy of the recent announcement that the 2024 F1 Academy title-winner will receive a fully-funded seat in GB3 with Rodin Motorsport in 2025, Pulling has her plans for next year already determined.
Speaking after winning the title on Saturday, Pulling said: “It’s just everything that I wanted. It’s amazing being Champion, but it’s all about next year for me. It’s a big relief off of my shoulders and I’ve worked so hard for this.
“The team have worked so hard for this and they deserve it so much. They’ve done everything that we’ve needed this year, they’ve given me everything that I’ve needed to do this. To do it in the fashion we have, I’m speechless.
“It’s been incredible. Going into this year, I keep saying it but I’m going to say it again, I had no option, I had to win! I managed to do it in a way that I actually put less pressure on myself going into the end of the year. I’m so happy, I don’t know what to say.
“I put everything on the line in that first lap, I wanted to do it today and I’m glad I did it how I did it. I think that just shows how much fight I’ve got in me and how badly I wanted it.”
