Abbi Pulling towards F1 Academy drivers’ title after double wins in Singapore

SINGAPORE – British driver Abbi Pulling moved closer towards her first F1 Academy drivers’ championship after a clean sweep of race wins in Singapore, but there was little time for celebrations as she had to catch a flight just hours later.

The tight schedule was not an issue for Pulling, however, as she knew exactly what she wanted to do to commemorate a stellar weekend: Have a Singapore Sling at the airport.

During her last visit to Singapore in 2022 for the now-defunct W Series, another all-women championship, the Briton also had the gin-based cocktail, but the circumstances have changed drastically since.

Two years ago, she finished sixth at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. But the 21-year-old kept up her scintillating form this season at the support event for the Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix by winning both races in the fifth round of the championship.

Pulling, who competes for Rodin Motorsport, now has seven wins this season and one hand on the title as the Alpine Academy driver holds a 95-point lead over second-placed Doriane Pin of France with two rounds remaining in Lusail (Nov 29-Dec 1) and Yas Island (Dec 6-8).

On closing in on the championship, Pulling said: “Yeah, it’s really close now and I’m just putting full focus on making sure I go into Qatar and Abu Dhabi as best prepared as possible.

“It’s the exact same approach I’ve taken all season, just making sure that I extract everything I can out of the car and working closely with my engineer.

“We’ve got a good thing going so we want to keep that up because who knows what will happen in the next couple of races.”

Holding off the chasing pack led by Prema Racing’s Dutch driver Maya Weug and Pin, who finished second and third respectively in both races, Pulling capped a dominant weekend in Singapore where she converted both poles to victories.

This was the first time Singapore featured on the F1 Academy calendar, with the all-female series just in its second season.

The championship was founded by F1 in 2023, with the aim of developing young female drivers and creating opportunities for them to progress up the single-seater ladder.

Pulling said: “I’ve absolutely loved my time here.

“It’s one of the races where I flew out a bit earlier, so I got to see the sights as well. It was really good fun.

“But to get onto the track for that first (practice) session, it was incredible.

“It was like a roller coaster on this track, and you’re so, so close to the walls.

“If you want to be at the front, you’ve got to get closer and closer and take the risk.

“It’s been incredible.”

While the drivers’ championship is pretty much in Pulling’s hands, the fight for the team title is a tight one.

Defending champions Prema Racing are leading with 287 points, seven ahead of Rodin Motorsport. Campos Racing are third with 228 points.

With the next round of the F1 Academy taking place in Lusail only in December, Pulling will be turning her attention to the British F4 Championship.

In May, she became the first female driver to win a race in the mixed-gender championship with her victory coming at Brands Hatch, a circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England.

While she has enjoyed a phenomenal season, Pulling said there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes unseen.

She said: “I think what people don’t understand is what happens on track is 10 per cent of it. The rest of the 90 per cent is all the preparation and making sure that that last 10 per cent is as easy as possible...

“The preparation for us is really important.

“Even just for here, physically doing a lot in the heat chamber, making sure we’re hydrated and well fed as well... It was quite gruelling but it’s what you need to do if you want to be performing at your best.”