F1 Academy winner Abbi Pulling excited about stepping up to GB3

F1 Academy winner Abbi Pulling excited about stepping up to GB3
Abbi Pulling, center, celebrates on the podium after Race 2 of the F1 Academy championship at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit. (X: @f1academy)
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Updated 12 December 2024
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F1 Academy winner Abbi Pulling excited about stepping up to GB3

F1 Academy winner Abbi Pulling excited about stepping up to GB3
  • ‘It’s such a positive time to be a female in motorsport’
  • Brit won record 9 races in the 2024 women-only series

ABU DHABI: In her own words, Abbi Pulling is “living the dream.”

The 21-year-old racing driver wrapped up her historic year on the track by clinching the F1 Academy championship last weekend at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit, where she won two of the three races, and was second in the third.

Overall, Pulling enjoyed a record nine race wins in the female-only series in 2024, along with 10 poles. The Rodin Motorsport driver made the podium in every single race throughout the season.

It was a remarkable step up for the Brit, who admittedly struggled in her first campaign in F1 Academy in 2023, where she went winless to finish fifth in the championship.

“The first year was super hard. The transition from last year to this year, I did a really big deliberate step in my mental attitude and it’s really made the difference this year,” Pulling told Arab News after securing the F1 Academy title.

“I wanted to step up this year and show that I am capable of what I’m capable of and that I can go on to do great things.

“I think this year I’ve done everything I could, at every point I’ve maximized — there was only one race, Zandvoort, where I finished P3. We were fast there but I made a mistake.

“It’s nice and satisfying to be able to come away from a season, knowing that I’ve done almost everything I could. That’s very special.”

What makes Pulling’s year even more special is the fact she was running a dual program, racing in the British F4 Championship alongside the F1 Academy.

In May, she won a race at Brands Hatch — the second stop of the championship — to become the first woman in history to claim a victory in British F4.

Despite missing six races, Pulling finished the 2024 British F4 Championship in seventh place with one win and three podiums.

Her triumph in the F1 Academy comes with a fully funded seat for the GB3 Championship with Rodin Motorsport in 2025. This is a huge relief for Pulling who knows how difficult it can be to secure the finances needed to continue climbing up the motorsport ladder.

After making a promising single-seaters debut in British F4 in 2020 — finishing sixth overall, with four podiums — Pulling had to withdraw from the 2021 championship due to a lack of funding and her future in the sport was unclear.

The W Series — a predecessor to the F1 Academy — came to the rescue as Pulling got a chance to fill in as a reserve driver for the Puma W Series Team. She competed in just four races in 2021 yet finished seventh in the W Series championship with one podium and one pole.

Pulling had a full seat in the W Series in 2022, which she finished in fourth with Racing X. The series unfortunately went into administration and was liquidated. But then came another women-only series to the rescue — The Formula One-backed F1 Academy.

At the start of 2023, Pulling became a full-time member of the Alpine Academy program and made her F1 Academy debut with Rodin Motorsport — a team that one year later would help her make a historic return to British F4 and become the championship’s first female race winner.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by F1 Academy (@f1academy)

 

“For me, the financial side of things is so important,” said Pulling, excited about her next chapter in GB3. “I had to pull out of a championship in 2021, it was a really tough time.

“But I was so lucky that there was an all-female championship to jump into, that one had everything paid for, and then F1 Academy came along and continued that dream. And for that I’m so grateful, because I wouldn’t be here today without them two organizations taking me on.

“I think you have to put things in perspective. If I was a guy, that would have been the end of the road for me; so I’m trying to make the most out of everything given to me.

“I’m so aware how lucky I am to be in this situation and I just want for the people that either can’t make that first step into karting, or can’t make the jump up into cars, or for whatever reason have to stop, or can’t get in in the first place, I want to do my best for all of them.”

Pulling feels prepared to take that next step up the ladder to GB3, and says she is “living proof” that the F1 Academy can help women transition into higher racing categories in mixed series.

“Obviously paired with a dual program as well,” she added.

“F1 Academy opened me up to the relationship with Rodin Motorsport, which then got me a relationship with Rodin Cars. And then in 2024 I’ve been doing a dual campaign British F4 with Rodin Cars and Rodin Motorsport, and obviously F1 Academy with Alpine Academy and Rodin Motorsport.

“So that alone has opened that door to do a dual campaign, get more seat time. I’m living proof that it’s working.

“Going around to tracks like this, Yas Marina, I wouldn’t have been here without the championship. It’s a very fun track to end the season on.

“They’ve given us plenty of seat time this year, lots of experience managing tires in hot conditions, changeable conditions as well. It’s been a really fun season.”

 

 

Pulling paid tribute to Alpine and believes the Enstone outfit have helped her become a “more well-rounded driver,” placing special emphasis on her physical preparation off the track.

Like any racing driver, Pulling’s dream is to one day land a seat in F1, but even if she does not, she is certain another woman will in the near future.

“There’s not been a wave like this ever (for women in motorsport). I’m going to ride it as long as I can,” she said.

“It’s just such a positive time to be a female in motorsport. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. I don’t know when it will be, but I’m certain that we’ll have a female driving in a Formula 1 car soon.

“And if it’s not me, I hope it’s the girls that I’ve been racing against or a young girl that’s been watching that is inspired by what we’ve been doing.”

Pulling’s motorsport dream was sparked when she was just 3 years old, watching her father, Andy, compete on motorbikes. At age 8, she opted for four wheels instead of two like her father, and by 14 was crowned national junior karting champion back home in the UK.

The rest, as they say, is history, and Pulling has now become the most promising female prospect in the world of motorsport.

Is it what she hoped it would be?

“It’s not always as glitzy or as glamorous as people think, but I’m living the dream,” she said.


Lebanese sensation Hady Habib’s historic journey comes to an end at Australian Open

Lebanese sensation Hady Habib’s historic journey comes to an end at Australian Open
Updated 47 sec ago
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Lebanese sensation Hady Habib’s historic journey comes to an end at Australian Open

Lebanese sensation Hady Habib’s historic journey comes to an end at Australian Open
  • The 26-year-old Houston-born player lost to Frenchman Ugo Humbert in three straight sets (3-6, 4-6, 4-6)
  • A large crowd from the Lebanese community in Australia were present to cheer on Habib

BEIRUT: The journey of Lebanon’s tennis sensation Hady Habib, who on Sunday became the first Lebanese to ever win a Grand Slam match, ended at the Australian Open after he lost to France’s Ugo Humbert on Wednesday.
In front of a large Lebanese audience in Melbourne that enthusiastically supported Habib, the 26-year-old Houston-born player ended what has been portrayed as a historic journey in the Australian Open tournament after losing three straight sets (3-6, 4-6, 4-6) in the second round.
On Sunday, Habib, who is 216th in the ATP singles ranking, made history after defeating in the first round 22-year-old Chinese player Bu Yunchaokete, ranked 65th in the world, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (6) to reach the second round, becoming the first Lebanese to win a Grand Slam main draw singles match in the Open Era.


A large crowd from the Lebanese community in Australia were present to cheer on Habib as he challenged an elite player, Humbert, ranked 14th in the world. The clear and obvious difference in experience eventually leaned in favor of the Frenchman.
Habib became the first Lebanese to qualify for one of the four major tennis tournaments, after achieving three consecutive victories in the preliminary rounds by defeating American Patrick Kipson (6-4, 7-6), Taiwan’s Chun-Hsin Tseng (6-4, 7-6) and Frenchman Clement Chedekh (6-4, 3-6, 7-6).
Habib represented Lebanon in the Olympic Games, and lost at Roland Garros to Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz in the first round. He also lost the doubles match with Benjamin Hassan to the Australian duo Matthew Ebden and John Peers.
“It’s absolutely incredible,” he told Arab News earlier this week after his first-round triumph.
“I’m so grateful for their support. I think the Lebanese community, I sort of brought everyone together, and it was really special to win in front of them. Every time I’m playing, there’s a larger and larger crowd. So, yeah, it’s just been amazing,” the 26-year-old said.


BBC’s Match of the Day unveils new hosts to replace Lineker

BBC’s Match of the Day unveils new hosts to replace Lineker
Updated 9 min 11 sec ago
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BBC’s Match of the Day unveils new hosts to replace Lineker

BBC’s Match of the Day unveils new hosts to replace Lineker
  • Kelly Cates, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman will share presenting duties on the iconic show
  • Cates, Dalglish’s 49-year-old daughter, is part of Sky Sports’ presenting team and will continue in that job alongside her new Match of the Day role

LONDON: Match of the Day, the BBC’s flagship Premier League highlights program, has unveiled three new hosts to replace Gary Lineker, including the daughter of Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish.
Kelly Cates, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman will share presenting duties on the iconic show, which celebrated its 60th anniversary last year, when current host Lineker steps down at the end of this season.
Cates, Dalglish’s 49-year-old daughter, is part of Sky Sports’ presenting team and will continue in that job alongside her new Match of the Day role.
“Once I sit in that chair and the theme music starts, I just know that’s going to be a really incredible moment,” she said.
“I’ve worked with a lot of the pundits before and they’re all fantastic, so I’m just looking forward to getting started.”
Former Tottenham, Barcelona and England striker Lineker is the BBC’s highest-paid presenter, earning £1.35 million ($1.65 million) a year, and has been the face of Match of the Day for 26 years.
Lineker, 64, will remain on the BBC’s coverage of the FA Cup next season and is also set to present shows during the 2026 World Cup.
In August 2016, Lineker made good on a promise to present Match of the Day in his underpants after his boyhood club Leicester won the Premier League.
But he was briefly taken off air by bosses in Match 2023 after comparing the language used to launch a British government asylum policy to the rhetoric of Nazi-era Germany on social media.
In solidarity with Lineker, a number of fellow presenters and pundits including Alan Shearer and Ian Wright refused to appear on the program.
An episode was reduced to 20 minutes and aired without its host, pundits and commentary before Lineker was reinstated just over a week later.
“Gary has done a phenomenal job at Match of the Day for the last 26 years, he’ll be missed greatly and we all still get to enjoy him on our screens across some of football’s greatest tournaments,” the BBC’s director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski said.
Match of the Day, which was first broadcast in 1964, averages around four million viewers each week during the Premier League season.
For decades, the show with the memorable theme tune was a Saturday night institution, but audiences have dropped significantly from its peak in the 1970s and 1980s.


Benn and Eubank Jr boxing bout set to finally take place in London in April

Benn and Eubank Jr boxing bout set to finally take place in London in April
Updated 57 min 46 sec ago
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Benn and Eubank Jr boxing bout set to finally take place in London in April

Benn and Eubank Jr boxing bout set to finally take place in London in April
  • Bout has been promoted as a ‘second generation’ contest that saw the rivals’ fathers, Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr, battle it out in two ferocious contests in the early 1990s
  • Benn will reportedly have to move up from welterweight to fight Eubank Jr, who has a professional record of 34 wins and three defeats

LONDON: The long-awaited grudge match between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr is set to finally take place in London in April after a delay of several years, it was announced Wednesday.
What should have been an initial bout between the two British boxers in October 2022 was called off when Benn failed a voluntary drug test in fight week.
Benn’s two-year battle to clear his name saw his suspension lifted in November.
The 28-year-old took to Instagram on Wednesday to share photos of himself signing a contract with promoter Eddie Hearn and Saudi official Turki Alalshikh, along with the words: “Your Fate has been sealed! @chriseubankjr.”
Eubank Jr, 35, responded by posting the picture on his Instagram feed, with the message: “@conorbennofficial just signed his own death sentence.”
Benn will reportedly have to move up from welterweight to fight Eubank Jr, who has a professional record of 34 wins and three defeats, in what was previously billed as a “catchweight” fight.
Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s general entertainment authority, posted on X: “Eubank Jr vs Benn done in April, London, by the name of (Fatal Fury City of the Wolves). Soon I will announce the day and the location.”
The bout has been promoted as a ‘second generation’ contest that saw the rivals’ fathers, Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr, battle it out in two ferocious contests in the early 1990s.


Pakistan Super League star Vince to move to Dubai after attacks on family home

Pakistan Super League star Vince to move to Dubai after attacks on family home
Updated 15 January 2025
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Pakistan Super League star Vince to move to Dubai after attacks on family home

Pakistan Super League star Vince to move to Dubai after attacks on family home
  • James Vince saw his family home near Hampshire’s headquarters attacked twice last year
  • He has been retained by Karachi Kings franchise for this season’s T20 Pakistan Super League 

LONDON: World Cup winner James Vince is to stand down as captain of Hampshire after a decade in charge and move to Dubai following attacks on his family home, the English cricket county announced Wednesday.
Although he will miss the 2025 English domestic first-class County Championship or red-ball season, Vince will continue to play white-ball (limited-overs) cricket and skipper Hampshire in the T20 Blast.
The 33-year-old batsman, a member of the England squad that won the 2019 50-over World Cup on home soil, saw his family home near Hampshire’s headquarters attacked twice last year.
Vince, who said the incidents left his young family fearing for their safety, told Britain’s Daily Telegraph in July he believed the attacks were a case of mistaken identity.
“James Vince has signed a revision to the final year of his contract which fulfils his obligation to play for Hampshire Hawks in the 2025 Vitality Blast campaign and confirms that he is not planning to play red-ball cricket this year,” said a Hampshire statement.
“After 10 consecutive years as club captain, Vince will also step down from this position but will remain as team captain of Hampshire Hawks.
“In 2024, Vince endured a challenging year on a personal level, following several attacks on his family home. As a result, the family have taken the decision to move to Dubai.”
Vince added he needed to “understand what is best for my family, and combine that with the stage of my career I am at.”
He made his Hampshire debut in 2009 aged 18 and has scored over 22,000 runs for the county. Vince is the Blast’s all-time leading run scorer and has played in Hampshire’s three title-winning T20 teams, while representing England 55 times across all formats.
Vince has also been retained by the Karachi Kings for this season’s T20 Pakistan Super League on a contract worth a reported £100,000 ($122,000).
The PSL has made a one-off move from its usual February-March slot to take place between April 8 and May 19, the same time as the first half of the County Championship.
English cricket chiefs have introduced rules preventing England-contracted players or red-ball county players from appearing in overseas leagues such as the PSL that take place during the English season, with the exception of the Indian Premier League, cricket’s wealthiest T20 franchise tournament.
But the policy appears to have helped persuade Vince, who won the last of his 13 Test caps in 2018, to abandon English first-class cricket, at least temporarily, rather than reject a lucrative PSL deal.


Dakar Rally comes down to a duel in the sand between Lategan and Al-Rajhi

Dakar Rally comes down to a duel in the sand between Lategan and Al-Rajhi
Updated 15 January 2025
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Dakar Rally comes down to a duel in the sand between Lategan and Al-Rajhi

Dakar Rally comes down to a duel in the sand between Lategan and Al-Rajhi
  • The South African Lategan leads his Saudi rival by 2 1/2 minutes going into the 11th and penultimate stage in the Empty Quarter dunes
  • Friday’s last stage is a ceremonial drive to the finish in Shubaytah

SHUBAYTAH: Henk Lategan and Yazeed Al-Rajhi will duel in the Saudi sand for their first Dakar Rally title after swapping the lead for a second straight day Wednesday.
The South African Lategan leads his Saudi rival by 2 1/2 minutes going into the 11th and penultimate stage in the Empty Quarter dunes. Friday’s last stage is a ceremonial drive to the finish in Shubaytah.
Al-Rajhi led by seven minutes before the 10th stage, a tricky 120-kilometer loop south of Shubaytah on Wednesday. But he got stuck and relinquished the overall lead back to Lategan.
“We got stuck because we were taking it easy,” Al-Rajhi said. “Everything is going good, that’s the most important (thing). I have a good position, I hope.”
Lategan also took it easy but without finding any trouble, and was 10th on the stage, making up minutes on all of his nearest pursuers.
“It wasn’t the plan to go quickly today,” Lategan said.
On Thursday, he will start 10th and Al-Rajhi 27th and they can push harder by taking advantage of the tracks of those in front.
’Most disappointing day of my life’


Third-placed Mattias Ekström fell two minutes further back to 27 minutes, and five-time champion Nasser Al-Attiyah lost five minutes to drop back to 30.
Al-Attiyah, the only former champion with an outside title shot, got lost about nine kilometers in.
“I’m very disappointed, but what can you do?” Al-Attiyah said. “We had a good pace but we lost a lot of time. This is the most disappointing day of my life.”
Spain’s Nani Roma, one of only three men to win the Dakar in a car (2014) and motorbike (2004), won his first stage in nine years by 18 seconds from Lucas Moraes of Brazil. Brian Baragwanath of South Africa was third.
Sanders on the brink
Australian rider Daniel Sanders was on the brink of his first Dakar title in a motorbike race he’s dominated from stage one.
Sanders was fourth on the 116-kilometer stage but ahead of his nearest rivals, extending his overall lead by about two minutes against Spain’s Tosha Schareina and France’s Adrien van Beveren.
The advantage over Schareina was 16 1/2 minutes, the biggest in the race so far.
“It’s pretty much survival tomorrow and just getting through,” Sanders said. “I think we’ll be all right. I felt really good in the navigation and I was opening a little bit and then, yeah, it felt nice. So yeah, ready for tomorrow.”
Portugal’s Rui Gonçalves won his maiden stage in his fifth Dakar by nearly four minutes from Slovakia’s Stefan Svitko. American Skyler Howes was third.