PUSH AND PULL
British driver wins F1 Academy title then is immediately stripped of honour after last-minute change
One driver was awarded points for a race that didn't happen
BRITISH driver Abbi Pulling will have to earn the F1 Academy title this weekend... despite having already been declared the champion.
The bizarre situation comes after some last minute changes to the women-only series.
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Two races had been scheduled to take place in Qatar last weekend.
But due to barrier repairs, the second was cancelled.
This meant that Pulling, 21, held an unassailable lead heading into the final races of the season in Abu Dhabi.
It saw the Alpine driver declared champion and she even celebrated her triumph.
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But she will now have to earn it again, after organisers decided to add a third race to this weekend's schedule in Abu Dhabi.
This late addition means that 84 points are now on offer, which means that Pulling's current lead of 83 points is not quite enough to declare her the official champ.
In truth, it would take something astonishing for the Brit to not be champion.
Each race offers 25 points for a win.
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A further two are earned for securing pole, while a bonus point is added for fastest lap.
Organisers have confirmed that two points will be declared for securing pole in each of the three races.
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This means that 84 points will be available this weekend, with Pulling 83 ahead of closest rival Doriane Pin.
Pin, 20, had earned pole for last weekend's second race that never was in Qatar.
Despite the race not going ahead, Pin has retained those two points.
Formula One teams each nominate a driver and have their livery on a car in the Academy, a series on their support programme aimed at helping female racers climb the ladder.
The last woman to start an F1 Grand Prix was the late Italian Lella Lombardi in 1976.
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