Twenty-one-year-old British driver Abby Pulling secured the championship in the all-women F1 Academy championship in Qatar this past weekend. Her prize? A spot in an all-paid British GB3 junior series. Pulling will get the opportunity to compete with more of the best young drivers in the world and continue to represent women in motorsport at all levels.
For Pulling, the victory is more than emerging on the top of the podium: It’s a chance to chase her dream. And get paid. F1 Academy was created by F1 in 2022 to create opportunities for women to compete in F1 races. The last woman to partake in a Formula 1 grand prix was Italian Lella Lombardi in 1976, and the F1 Academy is looking to change that.
F1 Academy completed its first full racing season last year in 2023. But, this year, the F1 Academy partnered with Formula 1. So, each of the ten teams in Formula 1 guaranteed at least one woman driver. This is huge for Formula 1 racing, since the professional racing scene has typically been a space dominated by men.
F1 Academy’s Financial Struggles
Although F1 Academy is providing great opportunities for women, they are not paid by the teams that they race for. Instead, they have to rely on personal sponsorships to make ends meet. "It's been a tougher season than most, going into the year I had no choice but to win, I've struggled financially in the past," Pulling said. "To get the prize for next year...that makes me so happy and incredibly proud. It's such a weight off my shoulders. I think every year I go into every winter like 'what am I going to do next?'”
“I just want to move up in category and go to bigger machinery, that’s the main thing, just keep progressing in my career.”
Managing Director of F1 Academy, Susie Wolff, acknowledges these difficulties and is committed to providing increased exposure for the women drivers. “We've always known that there's a financial barrier to racing, so giving this exposure to the drivers is something that I hope will help them to progress in their careers,” Wolff says, who was a former Scottish motorsport racing driver. Wolff and F1 Academy are increasing exposure for women racers by being a part of the F1 Grand Prix weekend, the biggest in the sport.
The Future of F1
If F1 Academy is any indication, the Future of F1 is moving towards including women. But, for now, Pulling and other women drivers are still working to climb up the ladder to secure additional opportunities. For Pulling in particular, securing the fully-funded seat will allow Pulling to improve as a driver and eventually break onto the F1 scene. “I just want to move up in category and go to bigger machinery, that’s the main thing, just keep progressing in my career,” says Pulling.
Wolff echoes a similar sentiment for the future of the F1 Academy: “We’re off to a solid start, but we want to make sure that we are creating more opportunities, inspiring the next generation, and impacting this sport for the better,” says Wolf. There is more work to be done and more progress to achieve for women in motor sport. Giving women drivers this opportunity in F1 Academy is the first step in cultivating the next generation of racers. Decreasing the financial burden for F1 Academy drivers is the next.
Pulling represents that next generation of racers and has the opportunity of a lifetime to take her career to the next level. Gaining a spot as a paid F1 driver is not far out of sight.
