Abbi Pulling, representing Rodin Motorsport, celebrates her second place on the podium at the FIA Formula Academy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 8, 2024. In the first race of the season, Pulling secured her first victory after Doriane Pin, winner of Race 2, was penalized for crossing the finish line twice.
Pin, who had a dominant performance during the opening weekend of the 2024 F1 Academy season, found herself involved in controversy in the final moments of Race 2. Despite finishing the race with a comfortable lead of almost two seconds and setting the fastest lap, a communication error caused her to continue circulating on the track after the checkered flag was waved.
After an investigation, Pin received a 20-second penalty for crossing the finish line twice. She claimed that her engineers failed to inform her that the race had ended. As a result, Abbi Pulling, the junior driver for Alpine, was declared the winner after an impressive performance. Throughout the weekend, Pulling closely followed Pin, emerging as the only driver capable of challenging the Frenchwoman’s dominance.
This victory not only marks Pulling’s first points-scoring result for Alpine in 2024, but also secures her first win. Additionally, Nerea Martí moves up to third place as a result of the penalty.
