Reigning F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling qualified fourth on the grid, finishing fifth and sixth in her maiden GB3 championship weekend with Rodin Motorsport.
After a pre-season of preparation and acclimatising to the brand new Tatuus GB3-025, Pulling headed to Silverstone for her first weekend of the year in GB3.
She hit the ground running, securing a fantastic fourth in the first qualifying session of the season.
In qualifying two, she set the sixth fastest laptime – despite a DRS malfunction.
Pulling headed out for race one from P4 on the grid.
She made a good start from the outside of the second row, getting a great run through the exit of Copse corner – challenging her team mate Gianmarco Pradel for the podium positions immediately into Maggots and Becketts.
Ultimately she ended up having to back out, which allowed team mate Alex Ninovic through – as Pulling latched on to the leading pack in fifth.
Over the course of the 25-minute race, Pulling managed her tyres well – coming back at Ninovic in the closing stages of the race.
She crossed the line in a fantastic fifth on her GB3 debut.
Race two would see Pulling start from P6 and made another strong getaway into Turn 1, but she found herself boxed in with nowhere to go despite her good start.
Now in P7, she set her target on reclaiming her lost position and pulled in the gap ahead.
As Pulling latched onto the back of P6, a questionable defensive move from a rival prevented her from completing the pass on the Wellington Straight.
A late incident saw the race finish under the safety car.
Pulling was promoted to P6 at the chequered flag, following a penalty for her rival, meaning she secured back-to-back top six finishes.
Pulling would start the final race of the weekend from P5 and hold her position throughout the opening corners.
As the pack reached the famous Silverstone Wing, Pulling resisted an attack from her rival and held P5 around the outside of Club corner to retain her position.
However, as they entered Hamilton Straight, her rear right wheel was tagged, spearing her into the wall, taking her out of the race in a strong fifth position.
It was a big hit into the wall, but she got safely out of the car, pretty winded and frustrated.
Pulling said: “Overall it was a race weekend to be proud of. I was really happy with amazing pace in Q1 and Q2, even after technical issues. Especially in Q2 when the DRS didn’t work for the entire session.
“To then carry this forward into the racing, showing strong pace with P5 and P6 finishes in the races was extremely satisfying.
“Obviously I was very disappointed with race three being cut short to a very quick end, especially when running in such a strong position but I’m looking ahead to Zandvoort, aiming to keep this momentum going.
“A huge thanks to Ronin Motorsport, Rodin Cars, F1 Academy and all my sponsors for their continued support – I couldn’t be here without you all!”
Despite the final race disappointment, it was a very positive first weekend in the GB3 Championships for Pulling.
She leaves Silverstone finishing inside the top six in every session she completed, creating a strong baseline to build on for the season ahead.
Pulling will next be in action at Zandvoort on May 17-18, one of her favourite circuits on the calendar.
