Abbi Pulling of Britain Takes Both Poles in Inaugural Race of All-Female F1 Academy

Abbi Pulling, a 20-year-old British driver racing for Rodin Carlin, has secured two pole positions in the inaugural weekend of the F1 Academy series at Austria’s Red Bull Ring. The new single-seater championship features a grid of 15 women from ten countries, competing for five professional teams over seven rounds, each with three races. The F1 Academy has well-established experience in Formula 2 and 3, which is a significant advantage for drivers. The championship is designed to provide a stepping-stone between karting and other junior categories to F1 feeder series like F3, with the long-term goal of seeing a woman back in F1. F1 hopes to mitigate funding challenges faced by female drivers by subsidizing each car – a T421 Chassis developed specifically for the Academy – with €150,000.