A British teenager has been told she "has the dedication and talent to make it very far", after taking part in a special Formula 3 test for female drivers.
Abbi Pulling, alongside Hamda Al Qubaisi, experienced driving an F3 car for the first time on Friday in the testing event at Magny-Cours in France. The 19-year-old competes in W Series alongside fellow Brits Jamie Chadwick and Alice Powell.
Given her age and talent, she is regarded as one of the bright young racers who could blaze a trail for other female drivers. To do that, every experience is important – such as the 50 laps she got under her belt in one of the cars used in this year's F3 championship.
F3 is one of the feeder series for Formula 1. If a female racer were to land a spot racing in that championship, they would be a significant step closer to potentially becoming the first female driver to race in F1 since Lella Lombardi in the 1970s.
Pulling, from Lincolnshire, is affiliated with the Alpine F1 Team as part of their Rac(H)er programme. That relationship has also seen her get behind the wheel of an F1 car on two occasions, including becoming the first woman to drive an F1 car in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.
One her F3 test, the teenager said: "There was a lot to learn today, not only about the car, but also about myself. I came here with a big smile on my face. I really enjoyed it a lot. It's been really amazing to work with the F3 team. It's been a productive day."
Pulling sits fourth in the W Series championship with two podiums to her name this year. She also has four previous podiums under her belt from her efforts in the 2020 British F4 championship and, to help get used to driving an F3 machine, she received some pointers from newly-crowned champion Victor Martins.
Alpine Academy project manager Julian Rouse added: "Abbi did a very professional job today at Magny-Cours. She was totally focussed on extracting the most from the car and the test and drove very well. Her attitude was controlled and calm and her approach was exemplary – we are very proud of her.
"Abbi has the dedication and talent to make it very far in the industry and just needs the support and chance to prove it. Every opportunity needs to be seized as it could be the next step closer to Formula 1. Thank you to F3 and to the W Series for helping Abbi demonstrate her potential in another arena."
