Abbi Pulling's journey in the 2024 F1 Academy has been nothing short of extraordinary. Initially sealing the championship last weekend in Qatar with seven wins out of the first 10 races, she seemed to have the title in the bag. However, a series of unexpected events unfolded.

The Unforeseen Twist in Abbi Pulling's F1 Academy Victory

Initial Championship Sealing

Abbi Pulling had a golden opportunity to claim the 2024 F1 Academy title in the first Qatar race. If she had finished directly behind title rival Doriane Pin, she would have clinched it. And indeed, she did finish second, securing an 83-point lead with 82 points still available. This seemed to be a definitive moment, but fate had other plans.The scene in parc ferme in Qatar was one of celebration as Pulling joined her Rodin team and the Alpine F1 academy that had been backing her. It was a moment of pride and achievement.

The Unforeseen Crash and Race Rescheduling

Just before the scheduled second race on Sunday, a crash in the fellow F1 support category Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East caused extensive damage to the barriers. The extent of the damage was such that despite the best efforts of the series, there was no room to reschedule the race on that weekend.Driver development is a primary objective of F1 Academy, and with plentiful track time being a key cornerstone, the cancelled Qatar race two was rescheduled as a new third race for this weekend's Abu Dhabi finale. This addition ensures that there is plenty of track time over the Abu Dhabi weekend, with numerous championship fights still undecided.The third-best times from qualifying will set the grid for that third race, and two bonus points for pole will be awarded, along with an extra point for the fastest lap. This means that the total available points from Abu Dhabi is now 84, making it possible to overtake Pulling's current 83-point lead.

The Re-Opening of the Title Battle

Technically, Pulling is no longer officially the champion. To overhaul her, Pin would need a clean sweep of all three race wins, pole positions, and fastest laps. Pin would also need Pulling not to score a single point all weekend, which is a tall order given that the Alpine-backed driver has yet to finish off the podium this season.Pulling will have her first chance to re-seal the championship in qualifying. If Pin secures all three poles (and the six bonus points that come with it), it could prevent Pulling from mathematically claiming the crown again. This "re-opening" of the title battle is a bizarre but unavoidable consequence to ensure there is a 14th race of the season.

Pulling's Successor and the Next Generation

An incredibly likely Pulling championship win will earn her a fully-funded step up to GB3 in 2025. On the eve of the Abu Dhabi finale, Alpine has announced Nina Gademan as the brand's representative in F1 Academy next season.Gademan impressed during her wildcard outing at Zandvoort earlier this year, finishing fourth on her F1 Academy debut. She made her full-time single seater debut in Britsh F4 this year and will compete in the F4-based Formula Winter Series with races across Spain and Portugal before her 2025 F1 Academy campaign.F1 Academy will head to Shanghai, Jeddah, Miami, Montreal, Zandvoort, Singapore, and Las Vegas next year. Ella Lloyd, who tested with McLaren in Formula E's recent all-female test and was an F1 Academy wildcard in Singapore, will compete with Rodin next year with backing from McLaren. Courtney Crone, a wildcard in Miami, will represent Haas at ART Grand Prix.RB has already announced it will be supporting two-time Brazilian Formula 4 winner Rafaela Ferreira, while Kevin Magnussen mentoree Alba Hurup Larsen has also been confirmed for 2025. Elsewhere, Mercedes junior Luna Fluxa became the champions of the future academy title winner in F1 Academy's latest discover your drive karting event.