Abbi Pulling made GB3 Championship history at Spa-Francorchamps in 2026 as she became the first female driver to claim a pole position in the series.
The Rodin Motorsport driver topped a thrilling first Qualifying session at the Belgian circuit, securing pole for Race 1 by just 0.020s over teammate Maxim Rehm. With only 0.039s covering the top four, Pulling delivered her breakthrough result in the closest Qualifying session of the 2026 season so far.
The Briton also impressed in the second part of Qualifying, where she secured third on the grid for Race 2 despite further radio issues and the absence of a tow. After a difficult opening round, Pulling now heads into Saturday’s races focused on converting her pace into crucial points.
Pulling discovers historic pole after radio issues
Pulling’s milestone came in unusual circumstances, as radio issues left her unsure whether she had actually claimed pole when the session ended.
The 2024 F1 Academy champion only received confirmation once she returned to the pit lane, adding another layer to a landmark moment in her GB3 career.
“It’s very special,” she said to GB3. “It was weird because I had no communications on the radio so all I heard was “du-du-du pole” and I didn’t know if [the engineer] was trying to say x amount off pole or the deficit!
“I said, if you’ve just said we’re on pole, that’s really cool, ‘ and once I got back into the pit lane, he told me, ‘Yeah, you’re on pole!’”
The result marked Pulling’s first GB3 pole position and her first single-seater pole since her dominant F1 Academy campaign. More importantly, it gave her the Race 1 top spot at one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar.
Pulling takes pride in earning pole on merit
The first Qualifying session produced the tightest margins of the season so far. Pulling edged Rehm by two hundredths of a second, while championship leader Nikita Bedrin sat only 0.037s away from pole in third. Martin Molnar completed a Rodin-heavy top four, just 0.039s off the benchmark.
As a result, Pulling took particular satisfaction from securing the result in such competitive conditions.
“I heard it was a close margin,” she said. “I’ve always said I want to do stuff on merit. I want to get places and do everything on merit. That was purely deserved and very proud of myself for that.”
Her performance also continued a strong upward trend across the Spa weekend. After showing front-running pace in testing and Practice, Pulling converted that speed when it mattered most.
A calmer mindset brings confidence
Pulling had already matched her previous best GB3 Qualifying result earlier this season, taking fourth at the Silverstone opener. However, Spa represented a significant step forward, both in result and execution.
She explained that a shift in approach during her second GB3 campaign has helped her find more confidence behind the wheel.
“Last year, I drove with a bit of desperation to prove a point and that was to my detriment,” she said. “I know I’ve got it in me. It’s just about putting it together on track, and I executed that in the qualifying session. It’s really cut-throat in GB3 as well with the 15-minute [sessions as] we don’t have long to put a lap in. That was a special one.”
That change in mindset appeared crucial in a session where drivers had little room for error. With Spa’s long lap and the 15-minute format placing extra pressure on timing, traffic management and execution, Pulling delivered when the margins mattered most.
Pulling impresses again in Qualifying 2
Pulling continued her strong afternoon in the second Qualifying session, securing third on the grid for Race 2. Bedrin claimed pole for that contest with a record-breaking lap, while Rehm again took second.
Nevertheless, Pulling remained firmly in contention despite facing further communication problems. She also completed her best lap without the benefit of a tow, which can prove especially valuable around Spa.
“I was actually surprised with Q2, because I had no comms again and I did it with no tow,” she explained. “I saw the lap on the dash, and I thought there’s a lot in it if I could just get behind someone and got the peak of the tyre a bit better.”
Her third-place result gives her another strong starting position for Saturday, strengthening her chance to recover from a difficult opening round.
Pulling targets points after tough start to season
After leaving the season opener frustrated, Pulling now has a major opportunity to reset her campaign at Spa. However, she remains focused on race execution rather than overreaching from the front.
“It will just be a case of not over driving again, picking your moments, picking your battles,” Pulling said. “I just need to score points… I want to show that I can go the distance but to finish first, I’ve actually got to finish, so we’ll just see out plays out.”
That measured approach could prove decisive across the weekend’s three races. Pulling has already shown the raw speed to fight at the front, but Spa’s long straights, slipstream effect and heavy braking zones will make race management just as important.
Race 1 is scheduled to begin at 11:00 CEST on Saturday, with Race 2 set for 15:55 CEST. All races this weekend will be streamed live on the GB3 Championship website.
