ABBI PULLING RETURNS FOR 2021 TITLE CHALLENGE WITH JHR DEVELOPMENTS

JHR Developments has confirmed Abbi Pulling will return to the team to put together a bid for the 2021 F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost title.

The 17-year-old impressed on her debut campaign in Britain’s FIA Formula 4 series last year, claiming a quartet of podium finishes and scoring consistently en route to sixth overall in the standings.

Pulling also became the latest recipient of the highly regarded Joe Tandy Memorial Award for her efforts and made her debut on the Formula 1 ® support bill at Imola in the Formula Renault Eurocup.

Prior to the switch to single seaters, Pulling also impressed in karting, then both Ginetta Juniors and the GT5 Challenge before joining Steven Hunter’s Derbyshire-based team.

She will join the previously announced McKenzy Cresswell and Matthew Rees at the front-running squad, with one further driver to be unveiled later this week.

The new season begins at Thruxton, Hampshire on the 08-09 May, a circuit at which JHR have taken a clean sweep – six from the last six – of victories in recent times.

“Last year I gained lots of experience, so coming back and challenging for the title will be good,” explained Pulling.

“In the off-season, despite not being in the car, I think I have matured as a driver and understand everything more than I did last year. I feel confident in myself, the team and the people I have around me, such as Gazing Performance Systems and Alice Powell, so it will be great to have all these people in my corner.

“Alice has so much experience in racing and is doing everything she can to pass that on to me, to help me get to the highest levels of motorsport, which I am so grateful for,” Pulling continued.

“We only started working together halfway through last season, so to work together for the whole year fills me with confidence.

“My first day testing the car since November went really well and I felt like I did some of the best laps I have ever driven. The team and I worked on the set up, I was confident with the feedback I gave, and we just want to keep improving. I understand a lot more about how the car reacts and I have belief in my and the team’s ability.”

JHR Team Principal Steven Hunter expressed his happiness at retaining Pulling for a second season, and looks forward to seeing what she can achieve in the season ahead.

“We are really happy that Abbi is returning for another year in F4 with the team,” said Hunter.

“Her talent and ability were clear for everyone to see and her ability to consistently make improvements in her rookie season was fantastic, so it was fitting she was given the Joe Tandy Memorial Award in recognition of that.

“She has had some seat time in more powerful machinery and that, coupled with how closely she works with Alice Powell, mean that her understanding of the car has increased significantly.

“She has gained confidence in herself and her abilities, and we really just can’t wait to get out on track and see what she can achieve.”