Abbi Pulling is competing in GB3 with Rodin Motorsport in a campaign she described to Formula E Notebook at Jeddah last week as “really exciting.”
The punch of her plans for 2025 has been a bit diluted by the fact that it has been known about for so long after she executed an excellent campaign with Rodin in F1 Academy where she won nine of the 15 races in a dominant display.
“Yeah, the announcement’s been a bit strange as it was announced that the champion goes to GB3 anyway,” said Pulling.
“So, it’s not been like a normal kind of build up to an announcement. It’s like, ‘oh, she’s won, so she’s definitely doing that.”
Pulling is still yet to turn a wheel in the new GB3 car but confesses she’s “just really giddy to get out in it very soon.”
As for Formula E, she is also keen for more outings after a successful run with Nissan at Jarama back in November. On that occasion she headed a quality feed of the world’s top female talent and impressed Tommaso Volpe and his squad immensely.
“I’d love to be in this paddock a bit more, to be honest,” she says.
“I had a great time in Jarama with Nissan, and I got a really good bite of the apple, but I want a bit more, I think now.
“There are some conversations behind the scenes happening. But we’ll see what best fits and if we can come to some arrangement.”
Asked if she would consider a test and development role initially, something that her manager and mentor Alice Powell has done for Envision, Pulling is clear as she can be by saying; “I’d bite someone’s hand off, to be honest. Especially with how Formula E is going. They’ve announced they’ll be having power steering in the future. That negates any conversations about the physical aspect.
“It’s a real possibility we could see a female racing in Formula E in the near future, I think. Even though I think we could without the power steering anyway.”
Powell finished the Jarama test just ahead of former W Series rival Jamie Chadwick who will combine a European Le Mans Series and Formula E programme this season with IDEC Sport and Jaguar respectively. Is that a model Pulling might aspire to in the near future?
“It’s another thing similar to Formula E, so If an opportunity comes about, I’d be really open minded to taking that step and having an opportunity there. But nothing’s come about so far.
“Maybe in the future, but at the moment, to be honest, I am fully focused on my season with Rodin in GB3. And yeah, anything that happens on the side would be a nice bonus, but obviously not the focal point.”
And for the Berlin Test in July, is it just Nissan currently that conversations are happening for her? Or are there any other teams she is chatting to?
“There’s a few discussions,” Pulling says cryptically.
The 21-year-old was in Jeddah as part of her role with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, something which she also did last year at several events.
“I’m just promoting their messaging that they’ve got with Formula E, showing the growth of electric sports, not only in Formula E, but the Electric 360 campaign with the E1 Championship and Extreme E too.
Pulling got to sample a version of the Gen3Evo at Jeddah, indulging in a mega burn out on the starting grid as part of her outing. The equaling burning question now is if we will see her in Berlin in July where she could join the already confirmed Chadwick at Jags.
