Pulling reacts to ‘making history’ in first FIA women’s test
Abbi Pulling has revealed that she enjoyed being part of the Formula E all-female test, where “history” was made.
At the Circuito de Jarama, 18 female drivers participated in a three-hour test using the brand-new Gen3 EVO machinery – the fastest accelerating FIA single-seater, capable of 0-60 mph in 1.82s.
Representing Nissan, the F1 Academy championship leader topped the session, which was the first all-female test to be hosted by an FIA championship.
It was a historic moment for motorsport’s governing body and women in racing, which Pulling made the most of.
“Yeah, it was incredible,” Pulling told RacingNews365. “It’s always nice to be fastest, but I wasn’t too focused on times.
“I think I was mainly just focusing on bettering myself and working with the team, looking at the data and getting as close to what the lads are doing, as much as possible.
“Although you’re not going to do it the first time, but I really enjoyed myself. History has been made, and it’s nice to be part of it.”
Crucial Nissan support
Pulling’s fastest lap time of a 1:30.880 was an extraordinary feat, given she had never sat in an FE car before.
On top of that, the British driver had never raced at Jarama, whilst her simulator sessions featured the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, where the test was supposed to take place.
The test marked a complete unknown for the entire field, making Pulling’s lap time that much more impressive.
It was only 3.4s slower than the fastest lap time from the official pre-season test, which was set by Jaguar’s Mitch Evans after almost 15 hours in the car and with 111 race starts to his name.
A Gen3 EVO FE car is very different to the F4 machinery the 21-year-old usually races, with understanding the braking having been a quickly understood obstacle.
“It’s fairly similar to the simulator, so I knew what to expect, to an extent, but definitely you can really maximise the braking, hit the brakes more in real life, which I wasn’t doing to begin with,” revealed Pulling.
“So it was good to get on top of that straight away. How much you can attack the high speed it’s quite fun, the balance is quite nice as well. You can really push the entries, and it’s so vital to kind of maximise the entry and the exit.”
Pulling was able to fast-track her progress thanks to the incredible support of the Nissan engineers, whom she asked “millions of questions”.
In doing so, it reassured Pulling of what she was doing in the car, rather than leaving the talented driver to make assumptions.
“Yeah, super fun,” added Pulling. “It’s been incredible, I’ve really enjoyed myself.
“I always enjoy learning, so working with this team with a wealth of experience, where I can ask a million questions and also even stupid questions that they don’t think is stupid, which is really nice.
“There’s a few things I had to ask multiple times just to make sure I had it right. I’d rather go out and do it properly than second guess myself.”
