Pulling tops the charts as Formula E makes history

For many of the drivers it was their first taste of a Formula E car, and as such the best performers would be those who could adapt the quickest to unfamiliar machinery, jumping into the new Gen3 Evo cars which accelerate from 0-60mph quicker than a Formula 1 car.

Moreso, the test was originally scheduled to take place in Valencia but was moved to Jarama following the flooding in the region, so preparation time was more limited than expected.

Six British drivers were involved in the test, including F1 Academy championship leader Abbi Pulling, who topped the charts for Nissan, 0.3 seconds faster than three-time W series champion Jamie Chadwick, driving for Formula E teams’ champions, Jaguar, while McLaren’s Biancia Bustamante came third.

F1 Academy was well represented in the session; Carrie Schreiner came ninth for Maserati, Jess Edgar in 11^th for DS Penske, Nerea Martí drove to a best of 13^th on home soil for Andretti with team-mate Chloe Chambers in 15^th. Ella Lloyd, who impressed on her F1 Academy debut as a wildcard in Singapore, came seventh for McLaren.

Lloyd is no stranger to making the most of opportunities, having secured a 2025 F1 Academy drive for the Papaya team off the back of her showing in Singapore, and it is hoped that this test will lead to more chances for women in motorsport to showcase their abilities and progress in their careers.

Speaking before the session, Chadwick impressed the importance of the groundbreaking event: “I'm a big advocate [of it] for few reasons. One, it's representation, which I think is critical in any sport but particularly in motorsport, across the board, in the paddock, and showcasing that we are forward-thinking in these initiatives. I think that it is critical.”

“But also, opportunity. [The new drivers], they’re just starting out in their professional car racing careers and I think that for them to have this chance, develop relationships with the teams, understand what a world championship-level looks like – you don't get that in any other Formula, so I think it's so important to get that experience. Hopefully it leads to something - probably not in the near future but in the distant future."

The promise of future opportunity is coming from the top levels of the sport, with Bianca Bustamante citing a conversation with higher-ups where the drivers were told that it would be a “continuous partnership, they truly believe that men and women can compete in the same grid and they’re doing everything they can to make that a reality.”

And while motorsport does allow men and women to compete together, only three per cent of top-tier racing licenses are held by women worldwide. Katherine Legge and Michela Cerruti were present at the very first Formula E race in Beijing in 2014, though both only raced only four times that season.

Simona de Silvestro, who took part in the test, is the only woman to have competed in an entire Formula E season and scored points, racing with Andretti back in 2015/16. Chadwick will be present at the next rookie test at the 2025 Berlin E-Prix, but the question remains as to whether these tests will lead to greater opportunities for the promising new generation of drivers.

Abbi Pulling is driving to a dominant championship victory in her second – and final – season of F1 Academy; it may be that tests such as these open the door for her to take the next steps in her motorsport career.

Formula E all-women test results

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.