Back in the driving seat with FIA British F4 driver Abbi Pulling

Abbi Pulling is back in FIA British Formula 4 and aiming for championship glory with the JHR Developments team after a promising debut campaign last year.

We caught up with the 18-year-old, now backed in her bid to rise through the single seater ranks by Motul, at Silverstone to discuss the season ahead.

What initially got you into motorsport and racing?

So, I initially got into motorsport through my Dad, he did long circuit motorbikes and then he took me to corporate karting at a place called Ancaster at the age of eight, then I ended up getting my own kart and started from there, really.

Did you have a racing hero when you were growing up?

I do have a racing hero, it’s Valentino Rossi. I watched him with my Dad, it’s a bit weird saying someone on a motorbike, with two wheels, that’s my hero, but he drives so many different things and he just loves motor sport, he wants to be good in everything, he wants to have fun, and that’s what I want to do in racing.

Talk us through your career path up until this point…

So I competed in the British championship in karting, first in Cadets, then Junior TKM and I think I did a race in Senior TKM, before moving up to Ginetta Juniors. I did three races in that, then moved into Ginetta GT5, and now I’m in the British F4 championship.

You have a year’s experience in British F4 behind you, does that help going into a second season?

Last year I competed in the championship and it’s helped massively; I’m not going to have those  nerves going into the first round, I know all the tracks now, whereas before I learnt Knockhill two days before actually going into qualifying, so it was quite a tall order in some cases, and then the race craft. There’s going to be a full reverse grid race this year, so that’s going to be quite difficult,
but good fun.

British F4 has a reputation as the best series of its kind worldwide – what do you think makes it so competitive?

I think the championship is so competitive because of how competitive the go-karting scene is in the UK; it’s a high level, motor sport is such a big thing in Britain. I think all the people that go into the championship make sure they’re doing enough testing, and the teams are spot on and want to get the most out of the cars, the most out of the drivers and that leads to really close racing and a really good championship.

Do you have a favourite circuit on the calendar?

I don’t have one favourite track, I enjoy all the tracks for their own little reasons, for example Oulton Park is like a rollercoaster, it has lots of different aspects to it, high speed and low speed corners and it’s a tough track, so you have to put a lot of mental concentration into it. Brands GP is iconic, it has a lot of fun aspects, and Paddock Hill – it doesn’t get much better than that!

How will Motul’s support make a difference in your title bid this season?

Motul are a very reliable oil and their products will help us get the most out of the engine and hopefully win some races this year.

Talk us through your partnership with your coach too – W Series star Alice Powell…

Me and Alice work really well together, we’re like the Ant & Dec of the paddock! She’s not only  nade me better as a driver, but also a person, I’m a lot more confident with her and she made me
a character within the team. She’s helped me technically, and off track as well with my preparation to get the most out of me. She believes in me, and having someone have that confidence in you, it does bring the best out of you.

What about free time, how do you like to spend that?

When I’m not racing, I spend my free time preparing for the next time I’m on track, but then in my absolute free time, I’m doing graphic design and art, I’m very much into that kind of thing – I’ve
actually designed a helmet for my team-mate Joseph Loake this year, and it’s quite a cool design, I’m quite happy with it.

Lastly, whats your ultimate goal in motorsport?

My ultimate goal is going to be Formula 1, because I think for anyone in this championship, those are their aspirations. But if that doesn’t happen then I won’t have tunnel vision, I’m going to keep my options open.

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