Nissan has announced that Abbi Pulling and Sophia Flörsch will test for the team in the all-female FIA Formula E test in Valencia next month.
The Japanese marque, which launched its new car – the e-4ORCE 05 – last week, said is “fully embracing this opportunity and has opted to participate with two
rookies in the test, fielding a pair of promising young racing drivers.”
In Pulling, Nissan has secured perhaps the most exciting young female driver in the world right now. Leading the F1 Academy championship by a whopping 95 points with seven wins in from 10 races, Pulling is in prime position to take the championship.
She is also in the history books as the first female driver to take victory in British F4 race.
Like Pulling, Flörsch is a member of the Alpine Academy [both Alpine and Nissan currently have bases in Viry-Chatillon] and most recently competed in FIA Formula 3, finishing 29th out of 34 drivers. Much of her racing career has been in sportscars, having competed in WEC, European Le Mans Series as well as three entries in the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours.
In a statement, Team Principal Tommaso Volpe said: “This is a great initiative to give women the opportunity to test Formula E machinery, and we’re delighted to be taking part with two cars.
The number of women racing drivers has been increasing in recent years, and we’re proud to be contributing to the acceleration of this process. It’s a fantastic chance for Sophia and Abbi to learn and to help the team iron out any difficulties we encounter during the week. We’re very pleased to have two of the highest-profile women drivers.
They’ll be at the workshop and in the simulator before the test, these cars are not easy to drive so we’re giving them plenty of preparation ahead of the day. It should be a productive session, both for the team moving forwards and a great experience for Sophia and Abbi as they look to further their motorsport careers.”
Pulling said that he has “been wanting to drive a Formula E car for a long time,” adding: “so to be given the chance to test the Nissan e-4ORCE 05 is a dream! I’m very excited to take on
the challenge of learning the car with the guidance of the Nissan crew.
“There is a lot to learn and much more to manage so we will take it step by step. It’s a completely different environment to what I’m used to, but the focus is on doing what the team ask of me and to enjoy a productive test together.”
Flörsch said she was “very excited” to have the opportunity, adding: “It’s going to be very different to my previous motorsport experiences, but I’m always curious to try new things.
“I’m highly motivated to get the most out of the test and do my all to help the team as they prepare for Season 11. I’ll be spending time in the simulator to be as ready as possible for Valencia and allow me to extract all I can. Looking forward to getting out there and taking on this incredible opportunity!
