F1 Academy championship leader Abbi Pulling made history at Brands Hatch on Sunday as she became the first female driver to win a race in the the British Formula 4 Championship; Pulling is competing in both series; watch the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1
Monday 13 May 2024 12:44, UK
Abbi Pulling followed up her Miami double by making history as she became the first female driver to win a race in the British Formula 4 Championship on Sunday.
The 21-year-old leads the F1 Academy standings following her victories in the USA and is combining that with competing in the domestic single-seater series this year as well.
On pole for the second F4 race of the weekend at Brands Hatch, Pulling made the most of that opportunity and eventually took victory by 5.5 seconds, capping her historic achievement with securing a bonus point for setting the fastest lap.
"I competed in this championship a couple of years ago, and my aim was to break that record and be the first female to stand on the top step," Pulling told ITV4.
"I finally did it coming back and it's been an incredible weekend.
"I think it shows what F1 Academy is doing. It's bringing up female participation and there's just such a buzz now around women in motorsport and bringing more participation and licence holders in."
Pulling's previous tilt at British F4 ended when her funding dried up, but she earned a place in F1 Academy's forerunner, the W Series, for the 2022 season and has not looked back since.
The Lincolnshire racer is in no doubt she is a much different driver to her first time in F4 as well.
"I definitely think I've matured a lot as a driver," Pulling said. "I think I've put things in perspective a lot.
"When I finished my campaign in British F4 in 2021, it came to such a devastating end where I ran out of funding and then I got picked up by an all-female championship where it was all funded.
"Being with the Alpine F1 team, being with Rodin Cars this year, it's an amazing opportunity and without them I wouldn't be racing."
Pulling "wanted to prove a point" in Miami after controversially inheriting victory in F1 Academy's opening weekend in Saudi Arabia.
Pulling went into Miami as the championship leader after Doriane Pin was penalised from the second Jeddah race in March for not slowing down following the chequered flag and lost the win.
It meant Britain's Pulling took victory post-race but won on the track in Miami in both races with a dominant weekend, taking both pole positions and lights to flag victories.
The 21-year-old therefore extended her lead in the championship to 34 points over Pin after four races.
"The vibes were immaculate and I think I scored 57 out of a possible 58 points over the whole weekend, so it was almost perfect," said Pulling on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast.
"Coming to Miami, I just raised my game a bit more, especially after Jeddah and the controversy, or whatever you want to call it, that happened there, when I didn't win on track. I definitely wanted to prove a point and show I could do it on track."
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