Rodin Motorsport’s Abbi Pulling created two pieces of GB3 history at Spa-Francorchamps last weekend, as she became the first woman to claim a pole position in the series, and the first to secure a win also.
Her victory was a lights to flag triumph, in which she aced the race start from her pole position, controlled proceedings after a safety car restart, and withstood late pressure from VRD’s championship leader Nikita Bedrin.
“I feel like it hasn’t fully sunk in yet, which is a very cliché thing to say!” she commented after her latest milestone result.
“I kept composed and got a good launch, which was a sore point from Silverstone because the car is a bit different so the best way to start is a bit different.
“I got a good launch and just controlled the race from there. I’m really happy, [got a] good safety car restart as well, let everyone mess about behind me and away I was. Nikita and the VRDs seem really fast this year, and I managed to keep him at bay.”
Securing pole at Spa-Francorchamps, one of the most demanding circuits in the world, is always a big achievement, but also comes with a potential downside. The pole sitter traditionally punches a hole in the air for the cars behind during the long flat out blast from La Source, through Eau Rouge and Raidillon and then the long Kemmel Straight leading to Les Combes.
It’s not uncommon for pole sitters to be swamped by two or even three cars during the opening seconds of a race, but Pulling’s excellent start put her out of reach during those crucial early moments.
“We discussed [that] I’m probably not going to be leading before Les Combes because the straight is so long,” she admitted. “But when I got a good launch and saw the squabbling behind, they weren’t really gaining on me in the slipstream.
“I got a good exit [at turn one], it was a bit wet on the exit and I got a bit sideways but less sideways than everyone else. As soon as I went into Les Combes leading, I thought “we’ve got this in the bag, just make the most of the middle sector and get a little gap.”
An early safety car caused by two separate incidents threatened to undo her hard work, but it was something the 2024 F1 Academy champion ultimately appreciated.
“I backed off a lot for the yellow flags as there were cars spewed everywhere. I maybe backed off too much, but I didn’t want to get a penalty.
“I thought that it was a really good moment, under the safety car, to manage the tyres as they weren’t in the perfect window.”
A superb restart meant she again generated clear air to Bedrin and Rodin teammate Maxim Rehm behind her, even giving her time to think tactically and offer Rehm a tow while he battled for second place.
“I saw them side-by-side and thought “who am I going to give it to? Yeah, Max”. Knowing that they would be side-by-side and be fighting, it alleviates all my pressure. I like to think I did everything right.
“There were a few mistakes – it was wet in the braking of the last corner so in the braking there I had a few lockups, and one in turn one which didn’t help my case. Other than that, I’m super happy with how I drove. I managed the tyre well, kept calm, kept composed and made some history which is really cool.”
Spa was also her greatest weekend points-haul in the series, earning a total of 54 points from the event despite a cancelled race, 10 more than in any other event during her debut year, in which she finished 10th overall. There were doubts in the immediate aftermath of 2025 that she may not have been able to make a series return.
“Last year was quite a disappointing campaign, I was not satisfied at all. I feel very fortunate that, through the winter, [with] hard work from my side and the people around me got me back on the grid.
“There was a possibility that this may not have happened due to funding alone and that would have been a really sad prospect. The fact that I’m even stood here being able to race is an achievement, and the fact that I’m here as a race-winner is even more of an achievement. I just can’t thank everyone around me enough, I wish I could list them out but there are too many people.
“I feel like I’m repaying them a little bit, because it has been a long time coming. It’s always been there, it’s just been [about] putting it together."
Her Spa performances have propelled her up to sixth in the standings, following a difficult season opener at Silverstone that featured podium-challenging pace, but not the fortune to go with it.
“This weekend, I’ve come here with a really great mindset so thank you to the people around me who helped me with that. It’s been all quite relaxed, not overthinking things and it’s resulted in this.
“I don’t think it will be the last, we’ll see. I’ve been there all of pre-season testing and, even at Silverstone, the pace was quick [and we] were fighting for podiums.”
The victory was a perfect gift to her grandfather and father, who both celebrated birthdays during the event.
“It’s a long way for [my dad] to travel a lot and he tries to come to as many as possible but, when we were in F1 Academy, it’d be on an F1 weekend and it’s pretty expensive. Even a hotel room alone can be £2500 on an F1 weekend in Miami, it’s not the cheapest.
“To have him here and have him at the European races [that] we have on the GB3 calendar is cool. It means the world to have him there and to be able to give him a hug after. He’s been there since I was yay-high and making mistakes and getting annoyed at myself.
“He was the one who has moulded me into the person I am today. People always talk about sacrifice, but it was my dad – he was the one who made all the sacrifices, not me. I just want to pay him back in results.”
Sunday’s race started from third position, and proved more eventful as she was shuffled down to fifth early on, suffering damage in the process.
“It’s weird to be feeling a bit disappointed after [this weekend]. I’m confident I maximised everything I could. I got a good launch, but a driver went into the side of me at the race start and gave me some damage that I sustained throughout the race. It wasn’t race-ending damage, but it was enough to make the car feel awful, put things out of align and make my life hard throughout the race.
“Around Spa, it is the small details that make the difference, so it all went to pot because of it. It was frustrating because I dropped back at the start because of that. I did everything I could, from that point on managing the car and how it felt.
“[It was] a fun weekend, an awesome weekend but it feels weird to be a bit annoyed after a weekend like this! A huge thank you to the team and everyone who has made this happen because there was a really high prospect that I would not be racing this year.”
The Hungaroring is GB3’s next event at the start of July, and Pulling is looking forward to returning to battle at one of her favourite venues of the year.
“I’m going to go with the same mindset I had at Spa; it’s seemed to have worked.
“On the calendar, Budapest is probably my favourite. I really love the circuit, it’s quite relentless, quite busy and everything flows into one another. If you make a mistake in one corner, the rest of the sector is ruined and that fairs well for me. It’s the kind of track that I really enjoy.
“We’ll see what happens in testing, I can’t remember what happened last year too much. It wasn’t a great weekend [but] it wasn’t a bad weekend, but it should be fun in this new iteration of car.”
