Gosberton’s Abbi Pulling is targeting a title tilt after confirming that she’ll be racing in British Formula Four again for the 2021 season.
The 17-year-old is set for a second season with the JHR Developments team after impressing last year winning the JTR Rookie of the Year award for a sixth placed finish in the championship following several podiums.
Now Abbi’s hoping with more experience behind her she can challenge even more in the season due to start with the first three rounds at Thruxton on May 7-9.
“I’m really excited for this upcoming season in British F4,” Abbi said. “I’ve gathered lots of experience over the last year and developed so much as a driver – especially in the off season.
“I’ve been constantly working on things to reach the goal of becoming the F4 champion.
“Every time I go out I’m going to drive as best as I can and focus on the process rather than the outcome.
“I’ll be supported by JHR again which fills me with confidence. The team has come so close to winning championships in the past and with everything that I’ve been working on I hope I can help them deliver that.
“They believe I am the gal for the job. They want to take their first championship and so do I.”
Abbi recently undertook a couple of days’ testing with JHR at Snetterton Circuit, where she was able to become acquainted with the car for the first time this year.
“The last test that I did, just a few days ago, was the first time back in the car since November and the first time in a car since December, so it was great to get into it again. I felt right at home. It was like I never really left.
“I’m confident now with my ability in the car because I’ve gathered more knowledge and have a better understanding of it.
“My preparation this year and even throughout last year has improved massively. I’ve got a great team around me – not just with JHR but also with my trainer, my driver coach Alice (Powell) and my mental coach Martin from Gazing Performance Systems.
“Over the off season I’ve matured massively as a driver with help from Alice.
“She’s supporting me throughout the whole season this year, whereas I only got to work closely with her throughout half of the season last year, which is when I started learning the most and began really improving.”
Powell, a W Series driver, has had a huge positive influence on helping Abbi’s development as a driver. “I’m looking forward to working with Abbi this year, it will be our first full year working together. I’m confident she is going to have a good year,” Alice says. “It is going to be a tough year. She’s made huge progress from August last year through to now and worked really hard over the winter.
“Abbi’s physical strength, preparation and her feedback have all improved massively so I think she’s set for a really good year and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and helping her deliver the championship.”
Last year Abbi was given the opportunity to race at Imola with the Formula Renault Eurocup, where she was able to make huge progress in racing as she navigated a new track, a new car and a new team. Abbi acknowledged the huge learning curve that came with this step up and the physical strength it required.
“My trainer Sarah Harrington made sure that after the race at Imola I understood what the next step is and the physical requirements for it. Even the test in December helped me take big steps, so this year it is all going to be about preparing for the next step in the future physically.”
Competing in the British F4 championship will allow Abbi to focus on achieving her goals regarding physical development and provide her with the platform to show the huge progress she is making.
“I know I’ve got a lot of supporters this year and even from early days I’ve had a lot of people in my corner, wanting me to do well. I can’t thank everyone enough, my family as well, and I hope that I can pull out some good results for everyone – for them.”
