Bianca Bustamante (born 19 January 2005) is a Filipina racing driver who currently competes for ART Grand Prix in F1 Academy. She is a part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme.
| Bianca Bustamante | |
|---|---|
 Bustamante in 2024 | |
| Nationality |  Filipina |
| Born | 19 January 2005 Manila, Philippines |
| F1 Academy career | |
| Debut season | 2023 |
| Current team | ART Grand Prix |
| Car number | 16 |
| Former teams | Prema Racing |
| Starts | 29 (29 entries) |
| Wins | 2 |
| Podiums | 5 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| Best finish | 7th in 2023 |
| Previous series | |
| 2022 | W Series |
Career
editW Series
edit.jpg)
From 31 January to 4 February 2022, Bustamante competed in a W Series test in Arizona, United States, along with 14 other prospective drivers.[1] She then participated in a second pre-season test in Barcelona on 2–4 March along with 11 other potential drivers and 9 automatic qualifiers from the previous W Series season.[2] On 22 March, Bustamante was confirmed to compete in the 2022 W Series season.[3] She finished the season in 15th place scoring 2 points across 7 races.
Formula 4 UAE Championship
editOn 9 January 2023, Bustamante was announced to race under Italian team Prema Powerteam for the 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship.[4] She finished the season in 27th place scoring 3 points across 15 races.
F1 Academy
edit2023 season
edit
On 3 February 2023, Bustamante was confirmed as the second driver to compete in the newly launched all-female F1 Academy series with Prema Racing.[5]
Bustamante finished 3rd in the series' first race at the Red Bull Ring, but was promoted to P2 following the disqualification of Nerea Martí.[6] Having finished ninth in the second race, her car suffered a technical failure on the formation lap for the third race at and did not start.[7]
Bustamante initially qualified 2nd for the second round at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, but was demoted to 8th for a track limits infringement.[8] Having recovered to fifth in the first race, Bustamante then won her first race in the reverse-grid second heat – earning personal congratulations from President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.[9][10][11]
Bustamante did not finish the first race of the weekend at Monza, before grabbing her third podium of the season in the following reverse-grid race and winning the third and final race of the weekend.[12]
Bustamante scored a total of 116 points, finishing 7th in the championship standings; one point behind MP Motorsport's Amna Al Qubaisi.[13]
2024 season
edit
On 18 October 2023, McLaren announced the signing of Bustamante to the McLaren Driver Development Programme and that she will represent McLaren for the 2024 season under ART Grand Prix. Bustamante is the first female driver signed to the McLaren Driver Development Programme and the second full-time female driver signed by McLaren after Emma Gilmour for McLaren XE.[14][15]
In Round 1 at Jeddah, Bustamante finished fifth in Race 1 and was promoted to sixth (from eighth) in Race 2 due to penalties for other competitors.[16][17][18] Bustamante qualified in fourth for the second round at Miami and finished the first race in ninth after stalling at the start, but set the fastest lap in consolation; in Race 2, she scored her first podium of the season with a second-place finish.[19][20] In Round 4 at Zandvoort, Bustamante crashed during qualifying and finished outside the points in both races – a pointless streak which continued in Singapore after she received a stop/go penalty in Race 1 for being out of position on the grid, before colliding with Tina Hausmann in Race 2 whilst recovering from a spin.[21][22]
Italian F4 Championship
edit2023 season
editOn 24 May 2023, it was announced that Bustamante would make her debut in Italian F4 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, driving for Prema Racing in a one-off appearance, replacing Aurelia Nobels.[23]
2024 season
editBustamante returned to Italian F4 for the final round in Monza, driving for ART Grand Prix, the French team making their debut in the series.[24]
Formula E
editOn 15 October 2024, McLaren announced Bustamante and her F1 Academy successor Ella Lloyd as the line-up for the McLaren Formula E Team women's test pre-season testing for the 2024–25 season in Formula E.[25] She placed in third in the test.[26]
Personal life
editBorn in Manila, Bustamante resides between Laguna, Philippines, and San Jose, California.[27] Former GT racer Darryl O'Young acts as Bustamante's manager.[28]
In March 2024, vehicle rental company Avis ranked Bustamante the third-most influential non-European female racing driver; at the time, she had a combined 2.2 million followers across Instagram and TikTok.[29][30] In December 2023, upon joining McLaren, she received backlash on social media after it emerged that she had liked several tweets critical of Formula One driver Lance Stroll, one of which used ableist language.[31]
Karting record
editKarting career summary
edit| Season | Series | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | SKUSA SuperNationals XIX - TaG Cadet | Cambrian Go-Karts | 21st |
| Challenge of the Americas - PSL West Mini Max | 9th | ||
| 2016 | SKUSA SuperNationals XX - X30 Junior | Cambrian Go-Karts | 43rd |
| 2019 | Asian Karting Open Championship - X30 Junior | 2nd | |
| 2020 | IAME Asia Cup - X30 Senior | AutoInc Racing | 16th |
Racing record
editRacing career summary
edit| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | USF Juniors | IGY6 Motorsports | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 25th |
| W Series | W Series Academy | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15th | |
| Indian Racing League | Bangalore Speedsters | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 17th | |
| 2023 | Formula 4 UAE Championship | Prema Racing | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 27th |
| F1 Academy | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 116 | 7th | ||
| Italian F4 Championship | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44th | ||
| USF Juniors | Exclusive Autosport | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 17th | |
| Macau Formula 4 Race | BlackArts Racing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF | |
| 2024 | F1 Academy | ART Grand Prix | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 57* | 7th* |
| Italian F4 Championship | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52nd | ||
| Euro 4 Championship | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34th | ||
| Formula Winter Series | GRS Team | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40th | |
| F4 British Championship | Hitech Pulse-Eight | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 29th |
* Season still in progress.
† As Bustamante was a guest driver, she was ineligible for points.
Complete W Series results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | W Series Academy | MIA1 9 |
MIA2 14 |
CAT 15 |
SIL 17 |
LEC 15 |
HUN Ret |
SIN 15 |
15th | 2 |
Indian Racing League results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Franchise | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Bangalore Speedsters | HYD1 1 C |
HYD1 2 C |
HYD1 3 C |
IRU1 1 |
IRU1 2 5 |
IRU1 3 6 |
IRU2 1 |
IRU2 2 8 |
IRU2 3 6 |
HYD2 1 |
HYD2 2 DNS |
HYD2 3 Ret |
17th | 46 |
Complete F4 UAE Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Prema Racing | DUB1 1 26 |
DUB1 2 28 |
DUB1 3 Ret |
KMT1 1 20 |
KMT1 2 25 |
KMT1 3 Ret |
KMT2 1 33 |
KMT2 2 10 |
KMT2 3 15 |
DUB2 1 17 |
DUB2 2 9 |
DUB2 3 21 |
YMC 1 Ret |
YMC 2 30 |
YMC 3 Ret |
27th | 3 |
Complete F1 Academy results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Prema Racing | RBR 1 2 |
RBR 2 9 |
RBR 3 NC |
CRT 1 5 |
CRT 2 1 |
CRT 3 7 |
CAT 1 4 |
CAT 2 14† |
CAT 3 10 |
ZAN 1 10 |
ZAN 2 8 |
ZAN 3 5 |
MON 1 Ret |
MON 2 2 |
MON 3 1 |
LEC 1 13 |
LEC 2 10 |
LEC 3 14 |
USA 1 4 |
USA 2 7 |
USA 3 13 |
7th | 116 |
| 2024 | ART Grand Prix | JED 1 5 |
JED 2 6 |
MIA 1 9 |
MIA 2 2 |
CAT 1 4 |
CAT 2 7 |
ZAN 1 14 |
ZAN 2 11 |
SIN 1 16 |
SIN 2 14 |
LSL 1 |
LSL 2 |
ABU 1 |
ABU 2 |
7th* | 57* |
Complete Italian F4 Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Prema Racing | IMO 1 |
IMO 2 |
IMO 3 |
IMO 4 |
MIS 1 |
MIS 2 |
MIS 3 |
SPA 1 25 |
SPA 2 19 |
SPA 3 19 |
MNZ 1 |
MNZ 2 |
MNZ 3 |
LEC 1 |
LEC 2 |
LEC 3 |
MUG 1 |
MUG 2 |
MUG 3 |
VLL 1 |
VLL 2 |
VLL 3 |
44th | 0 |
| 2024 | ART Grand Prix | MIS 1 |
MIS 2 |
MIS 3 |
IMO 1 |
IMO 2 |
IMO 3 |
VLL 1 |
VLL 2 |
VLL 3 |
MUG 1 |
MUG 2 |
MUG 3 |
LEC 1 |
LEC 2 |
LEC 3 |
CAT 1 19 |
CAT 2 25 |
CAT 3 18 |
MNZ 1 |
MNZ 2 |
MNZ 3 |
TBD* | TBD* |
* Season still in progress.
Complete Formula 4 South East Asia Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | BlackArts Racing | ZZIC1 1 |
ZZIC1 2 |
ZZIC1 3 |
MAC 1 9 |
MAC 2 Ret |
SEP1 1 |
SEP1 2 |
SEP1 3 |
SEP2 1 |
SEP2 2 |
SEP2 3 |
NC† | 0 |
Complete Formula Winter Series results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | GRS Team | JER 1 35 |
JER 2 26 |
JER 3 30 |
CRT 1 33 |
CRT 2 Ret |
CRT 3 WD |
ARA 1 35 |
ARA 2 29 |
ARA 3 17 |
CAT 1 |
CAT 2 |
CAT 3 |
40th | 0 |
Complete F4 British Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Hitech Pulse-Eight | DPN 1 |
DPN 2 |
DPN 3 |
BHI 1 |
BHI 2 |
BHI 3 |
SNE 1 |
SNE 2 |
SNE 3 |
THR 1 |
THR 2 |
THR 3 |
SILGP 1 |
SILGP 2 |
SILGP 3 |
ZAN 1 18 |
ZAN 2 17 |
ZAN 3 8 |
KNO 1 |
KNO 2 |
KNO 3 |
DPGP 1 |
DPGP 2 |
DPGP 3 |
DPGP 4 |
SILN 1 |
SILN 2 |
SILN 3 |
BHGP 1 |
BHGP 2 |
BHGP 3 |
29th* | 6* |
Complete Euro 4 Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ART Grand Prix | MUG 1 |
MUG 2 |
MUG 3 |
RBR 1 |
RBR 2 |
RBR 3 |
MNZ 1 18 |
MNZ 2 24 |
MNZ 3 28 |
34th | 0 |
References
edit- ^ "W Series' first 2022 test to take place in the USA using F4 cars". Formula Scout. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ "Belen Garcia tops W Series' Barcelona test, three more drivers confirmed". Formula Scout. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ "2022 Driver Line-Up Revealed". W Series. 22 March 2022. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ "PREMA, Mumbai Falcons set for 2023 start with full ranks". Prema Team. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "Filipino driver Bianca Bustamante joins F1 Academy with PREMA Racing | Formula 1®". Formula 1. 3 February 2023. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ "Bianca Bustamante gets podium in inaugural all-female race". ABS-CBN. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "R01 RED BULL RING - F1 ACADEMY RACE REPORT". Prema Racing. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ "Round 2 qualifying results amended". F1 Academy. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ "Bianca Bustamante claims inaugural F1 Academy win in Race 2 at Valencia". F1 Academy. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ^ "F1 Academy driver Bianca Bustamante on life in the fast lane". dw.com. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Marcos lauds Bianca Bustamante". Manila Times. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Bianca Bustamante claims second career win in F1 Academy in Monza". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ Uson, Melanie (23 October 2023). "Bianca Bustamante finishes first F1 Academy season in 7th place". Philstar Life. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "McLaren sign F1 Academy's Bustamante as history made". Formula 1. 18 October 2023. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Medland, Chris (18 October 2023). "Bustamante becomes first female in McLaren driver development program". RACER. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "F1 Academy: Mercedes junior Doriane Pin holds off Abbi Pulling to win first race of 2024 season in Saudi Arabia". Sky Sports. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ "F1 Academy: Doriane Pin wins Race 2 in Saudi Arabia to complete opening round double in all-female series". Sky Sports. 9 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ "Pin, Al Qubaisi and Lovinfosse penalised following Jeddah Race 2". F1 Academy. 9 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ "Bustamante 'heartbroken' with costly start error as she sets out ambitions for Race 2". F1 Academy. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "RACE 2: Pulling completes the Miami double with masterful victory". F1 Academy. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Solanki, Shayni (25 August 2024). "Pulling claims F1A Race 1 victory in Zandvoort". Motorsport Week. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ Solanki, Shayni (25 August 2024). "Pin cruises to F1A redemption victory in Zandvoort". Motorsport Week. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ "Bianca Bustamante to make Italian F4 debut at Spa". Racers Behind The Helmet. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ "Bianca Bustamante makes appearance in Euro 4 and Italian Formula 4 Championships for Monza rounds". biancabustamante.com. 2 October 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ "NEOM McLaren Formula E Team announces Bianca Bustamante and Ella Lloyd for the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship Women's Test". McLaren. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ "Pulling Fastest In Formula E's First Women's Test". Formula E. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Andaya, Ed (29 August 2022). "Bianca's life in the fast lane". Journal News. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ "Meet F1's first woman driver - Filipino-American Bianca Bustamante, Mclaren's latest rising star and racing phenom". The Star. 22 September 2024.
- ^ "Who are the most influential female drivers in Europe and worldwide?". Avis Car Rental. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Go, Beatrice (11 November 2023). "McLaren teen racer Bianca Bustamante looking to make motorsport household name in Philippines". scmp.com. South China Morning Post. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ^ Suttill, Josh (27 December 2023). "McLaren F1 junior apologises for liking anti-Stroll ableist tweet". The Race. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
External links
edit- Bianca Bustamante career summary at DriverDB.com
- Profile at W Series Archived 22 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine
- Profile at F1 Academy
- Bianca Bustamante personal website