Abby Pulling says her F1 Academy title is “priceless” after it helped secure her place next season.
in an interview with Sky SportsPooling highlighted the real pressures on young drivers trying to progress past the highest echelons of motorsport. finishing the championship in Qatar last weekend.
Pulling needed to score 18 points in the next four races, but he did so at the first time of asking, allowing him to race the rest of the season without pressure.
“I didn’t settle for where I should have finished. I had to go ahead or I wouldn’t have won the championship there. It was a bit of pressure,” he said. Sky Sports.
“I didn’t have the legs to take the lead, but that’s all I had to do.”
The reality is that not winning a championship would put the 21-year-old in jeopardy next season.
“I had to withdraw from racing seasons. 2021 was a big year. I couldn’t afford to go on.
“It’s so important to me. Next year, my season was really uncertain if I didn’t win.
“I went into this year knowing I had to win, I had to get that award to compete in GB3 next season, but I really took it in my stride next year. the dream continues and it is priceless.
That prize will be to compete in the GB3 Championship, which is aimed at drivers coming up from Formula 4.
Pooling competed in British F4 as well as the F1 Academy this year, becoming the first British woman to win an F4 race at Brands Hatch.
For the F1 Academy in Singapore, he won every race and scored almost every point on the grid.
While the future is bright, at least for 2025, driving for Rodin Motorsport, he is realistic about the ultimate dream.
“Any young driver will tell you they want to make it to Formula 1 and I’m no different.
“Obviously, I have a connection with the Alpine F1 team. being in their academy helps.
“I am also open-minded. There are only 20 drivers who make it to Formula 1 – it’s really hard to get there and even the best drivers sometimes don’t make it.
“You just have to be in the right place at the right time sometimes.”
