The Dark Horse: Bianca Bustamante Takes on the Challenge of Formula 1 Academy

“It will be Bustamante who crosses the line first to win her first-ever F1 Academy race as the Filipino racer Bianca Bustamante celebrates. What a start to the F1 Academy championship!” - Martin Brundle

As motorsport racing grows in popularity, we have seen different racing leagues such as Formula 1 (F1), Nascar, and The IndyCar Series rise in viewership and gain a larger fanbase. Among these rising leagues, F1 has taken full advantage of the added viewership. However, F1 is not a sport that occurs every day, and some viewers could feel like there is a lack of racing content, which leads to fans discovering other racing leagues related to F1. One of these leagues is the F1 Academy, a racing opportunity for women to compete in an environment similar to F1.

The F1 Academy first started in 2022 and is a racing series that allowed women to progress to higher levels of racing, such as F2 and F3. There are a total of 15 racers competing in F1 Academy with five teams, each team represented by three drivers. Among those 15 drivers, the Philippines’ own Bianca Bustamante races for Prema Racing. 

Before racing in the F1 Academy, Bustamante first raced professionally in the W Series in 2022, having her rookie year in motorsport racing before the lack of funding for the series cut the season short. The 18-year-old racer has been competing in karting since she was five, starting at the Sonoma Raceway in San Francisco. Soon after, the Laguna-born Filipina moved to the W Series and finished in 15th place, scoring two points in seven races. Bustamente then moved to the Formula 4 UAE Championship as a driver for the  Prema Powerteam and finished 27th, scoring three points in 15 races. After the end of the season, she moved to the F1 Academy, where she signed with her current team Prema Racing. 

Bustamante has been racing for over 13 years, but her journey hasn't been smooth. While most professional racers today come from a wealthy background, Bustamante originates from a middle-class family living in Laguna and San Jose, California. Aside from that, most opportunities for racing leagues today are given to male drivers, but not females like Bustamante. There are minimal opportunities for women to race professionally, and usually, the racers would come from substantial financial backgrounds who could typically bring in a ton of sponsorships. 

Bustamante had neither of those. She originally signed with one of the lower-ranked teams on the grid but made a name for herself and brought herself to the position she is in today. 

Although her racing career has only just begun, Bustamante has shown so much potential early in her career. In the W Series, the Filipina racer finished within the top 10 of a race twice, achieving 9th and 10th respectively in a race where there were 32 racers. As of September 20, 2023, she is currently 7th in points among the 15 drivers racing in the F1 academy. Bustamente garnered second place in her first race of the season in the Red Bull ring to pair with another silver finish in her second race at Monza. She then grabbed two gold trophies along with her first-ever pole position in Valencia and got another first place in race three of Monza this season.  

As of press time, the Filipina racer announced yesterday that she has joined McLaren Racing's Driver Development program and has signed to represent the team in the 2024 F1 Academy season. 

Watching and following Bustamante's races shows that she is made for racing. Her potential is clearly shown in every race she participates in and she can inspire anyone. She has demonstrated to Filipinos that even if we are from a developing country and aren't given as many opportunities, we should not count ourselves out. Bustamante’s success is a testament that even someone from a middle-class family and someone from the Philippines can make the most out of every opportunity and achieve their dreams. Bustamante is an inspiration to everyone as she fulfilled her childhood dream to be a Formula racing driver and is now a two-time race winner at 18 years old.

Let us all support our very own Bustamante in her new journey with McLaren in the 2024 season.