Abbi Pulling Joins Nissan Formula E as Rookie Simulator Driver
Nissan Formula E Team announces the signing of 2024 F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling, who joins the Japanese squad as a rookie and simulator driver on a multi-year agreement. The 22-year-old caught the paddock’s attention last November at Circuito del Jarama in Madrid, where she topped the timesheets during Formula E’s first all-women’s session and displayed the pace and precision that have become her trademark.
Pulling will play a pivotal role both on the track and at headquarters. She will tackle Rookie Tests, lead simulator development and support event preparation, while helping to commission the team’s bespoke Dynisma simulator ahead of Season 12. Her input will guide engineers as they fine-tune car set-up and race strategies, ensuring the Nissan Formula E Team maximises performance from the opening round.
Regarded as one of motorsport’s brightest prospects, Pulling already boasts an enviable résumé. Beyond her dominant F1 Academy title run, she became the first female driver to win a British F4 race and currently competes in GB3, where she opened the season at Silverstone with a strong fifth place. Her upward trajectory signals a driver ready to thrive in the competitive world of electric single-seaters.
Team principal Tommaso Volpe explains, “We’re very pleased to welcome Abbi to the team as our official rookie and simulator driver on a multi-year agreement. We were very impressed with her speed, commitment, and professionalism during the all-women’s test in Madrid last November, and we’re delighted to extend and formalise our collaboration. She is very talented – she was able to adapt incredibly quickly to the car and comfortably top the timesheets, which is difficult in every category but even more so in Formula E, so she is the perfect candidate to join us in this role. Abbi will have many responsibilities in the position we’ve created for her; we want to give her as much experience as possible, and we are confident that this long-term, continued collaboration will be very beneficial both for the team and for Abbi, to keep developing as a more complete driver.”
Pulling shares that enthusiasm, adding, “I’m excited to be joining Nissan Formula E Team and extending our collaboration together, after driving for the squad during the all-women’s test in Jarama. Everything the team did for me during the test was so professional. The time and effort put into ensuring I was prepared were greatly appreciated, and the crew was patient with me as a rookie. The GEN3 Evo car is truly
unique, especially in its 350 kW all-wheel drive mode, which was a lot of fun to use! It’s different from anything I’ve driven before, and it took some time to adjust to the increased power. I’m looking forward to my work in the simulator and to taking the car on track as well when the opportunities arise.”
With proven speed, technical insight and an unwavering work ethic, Abbi Pulling strengthens the Nissan Formula E Team’s push for success and promises fresh excitement as Season 12 approaches.
