Female motorsport duo to make BBC F1 history

Alice Powell and Abbi Pulling are set to make history at this weekend's Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, becoming the first all-female Formula 1 commentator and co-commentator pairing in BBC Sport history.

Powell, 33, steps into the lead commentary role in place of Harry Benjamin, who is committed to duties with Sky Sports F1 in Barcelona.

Pulling, the 2024 F1 Academy champion, returns as co-commentator and analyst, a position she has filled on several occasions previously.

For Powell, whose racing career has spanned multiple categories over two decades, the occasion carries considerable personal weight.

"I'm really excited to lead my first F1 commentary, alongside Abbi," she said to BBC Sport. "As well as dreaming of becoming a racing driver when I was a kid, I also wanted to become a commentator.

"Who would have thought that six-year-old Alice, who would pretend to be Murray Walker commentating on my own little race on my bike in the garden, would be having the chance to lead a BBC commentary many years later? A big thank you also to IMG and the BBC for this opportunity."

Pulling currently competes in GB3, the single-seater category that sits directly below FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2, the final stepping stones before Formula 1, and arrives in Barcelona in fine form on track.

The 23-year-old claimed her maiden GB3 victory from pole position at Spa-Francorchamps last month and is also the rookie and simulator driver for the Nissan team in the Formula E world championship.

She was equally candid about what the pairing represents, both symbolically and practically. "It's incredible to be doing Barcelona comms with BBC 5 Live, especially as it's an all-female line-up with Alice and me," Pulling said.

"The important thing as well is that it's not just to tick a box. It is down to our experiences and involvement with the sport that we're in these positions, which continues to show how much sport is evolving.

"It's becoming more widely accepted not to just have women within the sport in these roles, but also to have the knowledge and be trusted by the listeners."

Pulling currently competes in GB3, the single-seater category that sits directly below FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2, the final stepping stones before Formula 1.