Formula E made history with the first ever all-women’s test in a top-level FIA World Championship at Circuito del Jarama in Madrid, where 18 women had the chance to test the brand-new GEN3 Evo car.
They took to the track for three hours during the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship’s pre-season testing, where every team had to field at least one driver.
Abbi Pulling, the current championship leader of F1 Academy, secured P1 at the end of the session with a 1:30.889, only three seconds off the fastest time set earlier in the test by Jaguar’s Mitch Evans, and faster than some times set on Thursday.
The 21-year-old Brit, who is part of the Alpine Academy said: “It was a really exciting session, and felt amazing to put what I’ve learnt in the simulator into real life and to experience the thrill of driving the Nissan Formula E car. The lap times were strong which is very pleasing, I think there was more time to extract at the peak of the tyre, but overall I’m happy with the performance.
“The whole team was great, explaining everything to me and answering any questions I had, so a big thanks to them. I’m delighted to have helped the Nissan Formula E Team in the build-up to the new season and I hope to have another opportunity to drive the car in the future!”
An UNREAL job from the 18 drivers that took part in our first ever Women’s Test 💪
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) November 8, 2024
Incredible progress over the three-hour session testing the fastest accelerating @fia single-seater race car 👊 pic.twitter.com/TRw8hkCsMR
Trailblazer Jamie Chadwick, who won F1 Academy’s predecessor and now-liquidated W-Series three times in a row also took part in the test. She followed Pulling closely in second, three-tenths behind.
Driving the TCS Jaguar car, she said: “It was an enjoyable day, there is so much I think everyone is going to say they should have got out of the car in such a short period of time, and it got a bit messy there at the end with the red flags, but it was really cool, I really enjoyed it.
“One thing that was the most impressive was the launch, I did a couple and it’s incredible how quickly that car can go from 0-100km/h – that was my highlight.”
Jeff Dodds, Formula E CEO, believes this is part of their broader long-term strategy to remove barriers and expand opportunities for women, saying: “Today was a proud moment seeing 18 of the world’s best women drivers out on track in our new GEN3 Evo Formula E car. In just three hours, we’ve not only seen impressive consistency but also rapid development, with lap times falling quickly as the drivers got to grips with the complexities of the all-new car.
“Today’s test has been an important milestone in our goal to provide more opportunities for women drivers, and a first step towards greater equity at the top level of motorsport. For those who participated in, helped prepare, and even watched the test, this is just the beginning of a long road towards true parity and equality in motorsport. Watch this space. There is a lot more to come.”
