Alpine Formula 1 Academy drivers Sophia Florsch and Abbi Pulling will get their first taste of Formula E machinery when they compete in the all-female test with Nissan next month.
Pre-season testing for the upcoming campaign will get under way at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia between 4-7 November, with the final afternoon session designated for female drivers.
Teams will be required to run at least one driver but encouraged to field two in the latest Gen3 Evo cars, with Florsch and Pulling chosen by Nissan to perform testing duties.
Florsch has spent the last two seasons racing in Formula 3, the most recent campaign with Van Amersfoort Racing where she failed to score a point having joined Alpine’s Academy programme in 2023.
Prior to that she competed in the European Le Mans Series and made three starts at the Le Mans 24 Hours between 2020-2022.
“I’m very excited to have the chance to drive the most modern Formula E car,” said the 23-year-old German, who in the past has been critical of female-only championships, including W Series.
“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.”
Pulling will test for Nissan as the current points leader of the female-only F1 Academy championship, having taken seven wins from 10 races with Rodin during her sophomore season.
The 21-year-old Briton also conducted a part-time campaign in British F4 this term, claiming one victory at Brands Hatch.
“I’ve been wanting to drive a Formula E car for a long time, so to be given the chance to test the Nissan e-4ORCE 05 is a dream,” said Pulling, who joined Alpine’s Academy in 2023.
“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.”
Valencia all-female test line-up
| Team | Drivers |
|---|---|
| Abt |
TBC TBC |
| Andretti |
|
| DS Penske |
TBC TBC |
| Envision |
|
| Jaguar |
TBC TBC |
| Kiro Race Co |
TBC TBC |
| Mahindra |
TBC TBC |
| Maserati MSG |
|
| McLaren |
|
| Nissan |
|
| Porsche |
|
Chloe Chambers
Nerea Marti
Alisha Palmowski
Tatiana Calderon
Carrie Schreiner
Bianca Bustamante
Gabriela Jilkova
