Abbi Pulling and Alisha Palmowski shortlisted for Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award

Abbi Pulling and Alisha Palmowski are among the 10 shortlisted finalists for the prestigious Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, which provides emerging British racing talent with a significant prize and the opportunity to complete a Formula 1 test.

Photo credits: Formula Motorsport Ltd (left) / JEP (right)

Two female drivers have been shortlisted among the 10 finalists of this year's Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award: current F1 Academy championship leader Abbi Pulling and GB4 Championship race winner Alisha Palmowski.

The Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award is one of the most prestigious motorsport accolades and was first established in 1989 with the aim of supporting emerging British racing talent.

Open to drivers aged 16 to 24 and under the F3 level, the award provides a platform for young drivers to showcase their skills in a variety of cars. The 10 shortlisted will undergo rigorous assessments, including on-track tests.

The winner receives a significant prize package, including £200,000 prize fund and a Formula 1 test with Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team. Many past winners have gone on to successful careers in professional motorsport and include David Coulthard, Dario Franchitti, Jenson Button, Gary Paffett, Anthony Davidson, Paul Di Resta, Alex Sims, Jake Dennis, George Russell and Lando Norris.

The assessments tests will take place on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit in October, with drivers testing GT3 cars, LMP3 prototypes and the MSV’s F2 cars.

The panel of judges include BRDC vice-president Derek Warwick, racing drivers Andrew Kirkaldy, Alexander Sims, Dario Franchitti and Darren Turner, Johnny Herbert, racecar designer Mark Williams, Le Mans-winning engineer Leena Gade, commentator Ian Titchmarsh and Autosport Chief Editor Kevin Turner.

Abbi Pulling and Alisha Palmowski are joined among the finalists by Arvid Lindblad (FIA F3), Callum Voisin (FIA F3), Louis Sharp (GB3 Championship), John Bennett (GB3 Championship), Will Macintyre (GB3 Championship), Freddie Slater (Italian F4), Deagen Fairclough (British F4), Liam McNeilly (USF Juniors).

In her second season of F1 Academy, Abbi Pulling has so far collected four race wins and two second place finishes out of six races, which put the Alpine Academy driver comfortably on top of the standings. Alongside her campaign in F1 Academy, Pulling has also returned to British F4, which she had last entered in 2021 before her W Series stint.

The Rodin Motorsport's driver made history earlier this year in Brands Hatch when she secured her first win in the series, becoming the first female driver to win a race in the championship's history. With two additional podiums to date, she sits 6th in the standings in one of the most competitive F4 fields in Europe. For Pulling it is the second nomination among the finalists of the Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award.

Receiving her first nomination is single seater rookie Alisha Palmowski, 17, who is currently third in the standings with three victories to her name after a stellar first part of the season.

Palmowski graduated from the Ginetta Junior Championship, where she won the Scholarship for the 2022 season and went on to finish fifth in the 2023 championship by claiming 10 podium finishes.

Making the leap into the first-gen Formula 4 car used in GB4 Champiosnhip, Palmowski took a stunning victory in her first ever single seater race - then added two more victories at Snetterton and four additional podiums, constistently battling at the front of the field at every round.

As per tradition, the winner will be announced at the Autosport Awards in January.