Interview: Why Abbi Pulling “definitely wouldn’t say no” to Indy NXT after first test
Abbi Pulling has a fresh consideration to make when deciding her future plans following a successful first Indy NXT test with Andretti Global last month.
The dominant 2024 F1 Academy champion, who is currently competing in a second season of the GB3 Championship with Rodin Motorsport, remains undecided on her 2027 plans. She has competed with the Rodin team since her rookie F1 Academy season in 2023, going on to become a race winner with the squad in British F4 and GB3.
“I’ve got no clue,” Pulling told DIVEBOMB of her future in an exclusive interview, the week after her NXT rookie test. “I’m very dedicated with Rodin Motorsport and Rodin Cars. They’ve been a long-time partner of mine and supported me a lot. I’d love to continue on with them. They’re not stateside so it could be a way to, I don’t know, do something there.
“But ultimately, conversations haven’t been had and it’s just a matter of time and understanding. Of course, [Indy NXT] would be somewhere that would be quite exciting to race and the level’s quite high - ‘the F2 of IndyCar’ is what you can call it - and it would be quite exciting to be at that level. But I have no clue.”
Having raced her whole career domestically in Europe, now 23 years old, the test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) road course went some way to turning Pulling’s head towards the appeal of a prospective opportunity on the IndyCar ladder.
“It was something that hasn’t really been much of a thought,” Pulling admitted of racing in the United States. “But since going out there and experiencing it, it’s somewhere that I definitely wouldn’t say no to racing. It’s quite an exciting prospect.
“The racing in America is a little bit different behind the scenes. The atmosphere and everything is all slightly different so going over there was definitely a bit to get used to and adjust to. But I absolutely enjoyed working with the team, the car itself - one of the fastest cars I’ve driven. Overall, such a great experience.
“The tracks they go to… I went to the tame, more orthodox circuit, whereas some of them are quite brutal. It’s interesting and I’m very thankful that I did get the opportunity to go out and go in bigger machinery and against some highly-regarded rookies.”
The driver evaluation test, run on 21st September, featured five Indy NXT teams and a total of 11 rookie drivers. For Pulling, “it wasn’t super in-advance” that the opportunity was put together to run with Andretti, who also fielded the third-place driver in USF Pro 2000 this year, G3 Argyros, and former Mercedes Formula One junior Alex Powell.
Prior to the test, Pulling gained some advice from Jamie Chadwick, who raced with Andretti in Indy NXT in 2023 and 2024, becoming the first female winner on a road or street course in series history at Road America during her second season in the series.
Speaking as a pundit on Sky Sports’ The F1 Show during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, Chadwick revealed herself that she had contacted some of her former sponsors in an attempt to support Pulling if she opts to make the move to North America.
“Jamie has been awesome. She’s really supported me,” Pulling said. “I went to her ELMS [European Le Mans Series] race at Silverstone like two days before I flew and picked her brains and she’s been on the other end of the phone. She was my go-to to get in touch with because she’s been through it all in the US with Indy NXT and knows the [Andretti] team.
“I actually worked with her engineer, Andy [Listes]. She gave me the rundown on everyone there and the car. Physicality was something that I was concerned about and she spent two years there so she told me about some of the modifications and things that they can do and so on and so forth. And [she spoke about] the track.
“She basically just kept saying: ‘Don’t worry, you’re going to enjoy it. You’re going to have a great time.’ Highlighting the differences between the European scene and the scene over in America and things like that. It’s been super useful having her there to pester.”
Pulling enjoyed the “character” of the IMS road course, especially its bumpiness - particularly across the kerbs as she pushed the limits of the circuit. But having learned the track on the simulator, the priority was to grow accustomed to and get a feel for the Dallara IL15.
“It was getting to grips with the car and knowing that I could hang on physically,” Pulling detailed, “because the faster the cars you go in the junior ladder, the more physical they get. The GB3 car isn’t the most physical on the junior ladder so jumping in and making sure I could hold on was an important thing for me.”
The current Tatuus MSV GB3-025, raced in the GB3 Championship since Pulling’s debut season last year, is the only true comparison she had for the NXT machine as a true high-downforce, high-power open-wheel car. Otherwise, Pulling has raced Formula 4-equivalent cars in F1 Academy and British F4, plus regional Formula 3 spec in W Series.
Through the test, she ticked the boxes of learning that she intended to, whether about adjustments such as roll bars, technical aspects of the car or the physicality.
“The car’s very fun. It was a not-easy car to adapt to but it didn’t feel so dissimilar to what I’m racing in this year so that was quite exciting,” Pulling articulated. “It’s definitely physical. It’s definitely more raw. It’s a bit heavier and also a faster car; you have to hit the brakes a bit harder and things like that. It’s got a lot more power at the rear so you had to feather the throttle a little bit more. You’ve got to be a bit more patient with it.”
Pulling finished the test in eighth place, ahead of teammate-for-the-day Argyros in ninth. Leonardo Escorpioni, who finished as this year’s vice champion in USF Pro 2000, led the running for HMD Motorsports, ahead of the third Andretti of Powell.
The day was rain-impacted, leading to a delayed start and some damp on-track conditions. This meant Pulling had to miss the final hour of the test to catch a flight back to the United Kingdom for the penultimate GB3 weekend of the season at Brands Hatch, possibly making her position in the results a little unrepresentative.
Plus, not being a car built around Pulling - instead the No.29 of Josh Pierson from 2026 - there were some minor, in-future-avoidable physical limitations on the day. But neither that nor the results charts detract from the general success of the test.
“I don’t want to say it was a bit of a mess but it was all a bit quite hectic for myself, running back and forth and then going to the airport quite quickly,” Pulling explained. “But I was really happy with the day. The first two-thirds of it was in a super competitive window.
“The last new set of tyres I went on fairly early because I was leaving early - but also my wrists started to hurt because I was in Josh Pierson’s car and I didn’t realise the hand grips he’d put on were so big. My forearms and wrists started to get sore. It’s a weird part that I’ve ever experienced to get sore. I just had like claw hands for the rest of the afternoon.
“That hindered my last new-tyre run a little bit and everyone improved so that was unfortunate for on paper, what everyone sees. But actually behind the scenes, everything leading to that, the team and I were really happy.”
Curtailed or not, the test answered all of Pulling’s immediate questions. Now, her priority is to consider “in a bigger picture way” whether a career stateside is viable.
“If I was to go this way, what doors would open and what makes sense? Does this make sense in my career to go this way?” Pulling posed. “I’ve got no clue at moment. I’ve got no plans for next year so everything’s all up in the air. It’s just understanding what makes sense - also any race driver will say what makes sense financially as well.
“[Chadwick] has got quite a lot of connections out there, so if I can pick her brains on that side as well, it always helps. It’s this whole other ecosystem to navigate, to an extent, and they operate financially differently over there and even companies and so on. So it’s all just understanding the landscape in that sense.”
In the long term, the appeal of IndyCar may be enhanced for Pulling if the new-for-2028 Dallara IR28 adopts a power-steering-style system. The physicality of the current DW12 has often been labelled as an important staple and challenge befitting of IndyCar’s DNA, but it is equally perceived as a factor reducing the chances for female drivers in IndyCar.
Pulling would be keen to see IndyCar introduce a power assist on the steering, which is currently being considered, despite not being in the current IR28 build.
“The new car looks exciting,” Pulling said. “They’re talking about power steering, which puts a question mark over my head: is that a way that I want to go? The current Indy car is probably pretty tough for a female to drive, no matter how strong we get - and that prospect is quite sad. It’s sad that we do have that physical limitation.
“But having that power steering or power support, if that is to be in there and it opens up the chances of a female going there, I think it should be implemented. As good as it is to be as physically fit as possible for the lads, it’s frustrating when you can get a female in their peak physical fitness and they still can’t quite get 100% out of it.
“It goes even down to the mental side. We’re working at 110% in the car, whereas a guy may be not competing at capacity - he’s probably competing at 80% of his physical output or something. That all leads to [feeling] mentally more drained and more prone to make mistakes. Decision-making is harder.
“I think that should be implemented. And if it is, it would probably be an exciting prospect.”
For now, Pulling’s focus remains on finishing out her GB3 season in strong fashion when the campaign concludes at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in November. She is currently joint-eighth in the standings, with a total of three podiums, including becoming the first woman to take pole and victory in GB3 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in May.
But while she has 13 top-10 results in 20 races, she has lost “over 100 championship points” due to DNFs, with her remaining seven results all 20th place or lower. She aims to end on a high next month before giving more consideration to her future prospects.
“I’ve not been perfect,” Pulling conceded. “I’ve made mistakes and am still learning from that and trying to iron it out to not keep making them or to work on myself. It’s frustrating when things do go out of your control. There’s one [DNF] I would probably say: ‘Yeah, that was my fault.’
“Although I’m sat way lower down in the championship than I think I’m capable of - and I think a lot of people know that I’m capable of - I can be super proud of the good moments and how I’ve fought back every race weekend and how fast I’ve been.
“I’m at the point now where what I’m doing with my feet and my arms isn’t so much the issue on fast laps. It’s more bigger picture stuff, situational stuff or getting a little bit lucky at times. I could definitely sit back and be proud of the speed I’ve brought into this year. It’s a sore point in the sense of the actual results, for sure. I don’t think it tells the whole story, unfortunately.”
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