Abbi Pulling delivered a defining 2026 weekend at Spa-Francorchamps as she became the first woman to claim a GB3 pole position and the first woman to win a race in the championship.
The Rodin Motorsport driver converted pole into a lights-to-flag victory, controlling the start, managing a safety car restart, and resisting late pressure from championship leader Nikita Bedrin. Her performance also marked her strongest GB3 points haul so far, as she left Belgium sixth in the standings and firmly back in the championship conversation.
Pulling arrived at Spa after a difficult Silverstone opener, where she had shown podium pace without the results to match. However, at one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar, she combined speed, composure and race management to secure a breakthrough result.
Pulling reflects on a history-making win
Pulling understood the significance of the moment, but she also focused on how she executed the race. Spa often punishes drivers who start from pole because the long run through Eau Rouge, Raidillon and the Kemmel Straight gives those behind a powerful slipstream. However, Pulling launched cleanly, avoided trouble behind, and immediately gave herself the best chance to control the race.
Afterwards, she admitted that the scale of the achievement still felt difficult to process.
“I feel like it hasn’t fully sunk in yet, which is a very cliché thing to say!” she commented, while speaking to GB3, 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.
She continued, “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.”
That start shaped the entire race. Pulling did not simply defend the lead; she created enough space to dictate the tempo. Therefore, her win came from more than raw pace. It also came from preparation, decision-making and the ability to stay calm during the moments that usually define races at Spa.
A decisive launch changes the Spa equation
Pole at Spa gives a driver track position, but it also brings a major vulnerability. The leader punches a hole in the air from La Source to Les Combes, allowing rivals to attack in the tow. Pulling knew that risk before the lights went out, and she expected pressure before the first major braking zone.
However, her launch changed the equation. She exited the opening corner with enough momentum to prevent the cars behind from using the slipstream effectively. Once she reached Les Combes still in front, she felt she had created the foundation for victory.
“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.”
From there, Pulling used Spa’s technical middle sector to build breathing room. She avoided overdriving, managed the car, and forced her rivals to fight each other rather than focus solely on her. As a result, she transformed a potentially exposed pole position into clear control.
Safety car period helps tyre management
An early safety car threatened to erase Pulling’s advantage. Two separate incidents created yellow-flag conditions, and the field closed back up behind her. However, Pulling did not view the interruption only as a setback.
Instead, she used the neutralised period to manage the tyres and reset the race. That approach mattered because Spa’s conditions and the demands of the circuit can quickly push a car out of its ideal operating window.
“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.
He continued, “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.”
Then, when racing resumed, Pulling delivered another strong launch. She created clean air again and forced those behind into battle. Crucially, that restart allowed her to manage the race rather than simply react to Bedrin and teammate Maxim Rehm.
Pulling balances control with tactical awareness
Pulling did not only focus on her own pace after the restart. She also read the race behind her, especially when Rehm and Bedrin fought for position. With two rivals side by side, she had a brief chance to influence the tow and relieve pressure at the front.
That tactical awareness showed how comfortable she felt in control of the race. Even while leading a historic contest, she still had the presence of mind to think about how the battle behind could help her.
“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.”
Pulling acknowledged small errors, but she did not let them define the race. Instead, she recovered quickly, protected the tyres and kept her rhythm. Consequently, her win reflected maturity as much as speed.
Winter effort keeps Pulling on the grid
The victory carried added weight because Pulling had faced uncertainty after her 2025 campaign. She finished 10th overall in her debut GB3 season and did not feel satisfied with the year. Funding also created doubt over whether she would return to the grid at all.
That context made her Spa breakthrough more meaningful. Pulling did not just win a race; she rewarded the people who helped her continue competing.
“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.”
Therefore, the result represented more than a single weekend. It validated the work Pulling and her support network put in across the winter, and it gave her campaign a powerful reset after the frustration of Silverstone.
Spa mindset unlocks Pulling’s best GB3 weekend
Pulling’s Spa weekend also marked her largest GB3 points haul. Despite a cancelled race, she collected 54 points, ten more than she had scored at any event during her debut season. That return lifted her to sixth in the standings and confirmed that her early-season pace could translate into results.
She credited her mindset as a key part of that progress. After Silverstone brought speed without reward, Pulling approached Spa with more calm and less overthinking.
“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.”
That belief now gives Pulling momentum. She has already shown pace in testing and at the opening round, but Spa finally gave her the result to match. As a result, she can approach the next phase of the season with greater confidence.
A special result for her family
Pulling’s win also carried personal significance. Her father and grandfather both celebrated birthdays during the event, making the timing of her milestone victory even more meaningful.
Her father has played a central role in her career, and Pulling made clear how much his presence at Spa meant to her. She also reflected on the financial and personal sacrifices that families often make in junior motorsport.
“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.”
That emotional layer made the weekend even more powerful. Pulling did not simply make history for herself; she also delivered a result for the people who helped her reach this point.
Damage limits Pulling’s Sunday charge
Sunday’s race brought a more frustrating conclusion. Pulling started third but dropped to fifth early on after contact at the start damaged her car. Although the damage did not end her race, it compromised the car’s balance and made the remaining laps more difficult.
Around Spa, small details matter. Therefore, even limited damage can affect lap time, confidence and race management. Pulling still felt she maximised the situation, but she left the race with some frustration despite the scale of the weekend.
“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, 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.”
Even so, her frustration highlighted her standards. Pulling celebrated the historic win, but she still wanted more from the weekend. That competitive edge could prove important as the season continues.
Pulling looks ahead to the Hungaroring
GB3 now heads to the Hungaroring at the start of July, and Pulling will carry her Spa mindset into one of her favourite circuits on the calendar. The Hungarian venue offers a very different challenge from Spa, with relentless corner sequences and little room to recover from mistakes.
That style suits Pulling, who enjoys circuits where rhythm and precision matter across an entire sector. After her breakthrough in Belgium, she wants to keep the same relaxed approach and see where it takes her.
“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.”
Ultimately, Pulling leaves Spa with history made, confidence restored and momentum behind her. She has proven that she can convert pole into victory under pressure, manage difficult race conditions and fight at the front in GB3.
Now, the challenge shifts from making history once to building a sustained campaign from it. If Pulling carries the same composure into Budapest, Spa may mark the start of a much bigger run rather than a standalone breakthrough.
