Bianca Bustamante

Last updated

Bianca Bustamante
Bianca Bustamante 2024.jpg
Bustamante in 2024
Nationality Flag of the Philippines.svg Filipina
Born (2005-01-19) 19 January 2005 (age 19)
Manila, Philippines
F1 Academy
Years active2023–2024
Car number16
Former teams Prema Racing, ART Grand Prix
Starts35 (35 entries)
Wins2
Podiums5
Poles0
Fastest laps1
Best finish7th in 2024
Previous series
2023–2024
2022 		F1 Academy
W Series

Bianca Bustamante (born 19 January 2005) is a Filipina racing driver and is a part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme.

Contents

Career

W Series

Bustamante competing in the 2022 W Series Silverstone round. 2022 British Grand Prix (52382657664).jpg
Bustamante competing in the 2022 W Series Silverstone round.

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

On 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

2023 season

Bustamante competing for Prema in an F1 Academy race at the Red Bull Ring in 2023. F1 Academy 2023 Spielberg Nr. 16 Bustamante.jpg
Bustamante competing for Prema in an F1 Academy race at the Red Bull Ring in 2023.

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 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

Bustamante leads Chloe Chambers in an F1 Academy race at Zandvoort in 2024. 2024-08-25 Motorsport, Grosser Preis der Niederlande 2024, F1 Academy STP 3533 by Stepro.jpg
Bustamante leads Chloe Chambers in an F1 Academy race at Zandvoort in 2024.

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

2023 season

On 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

Bustamante 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

On 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

Born 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 allegedly ableist language. [31]

Karting record

Karting career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamPosition
2015SKUSA SuperNationals XIX - TaG CadetCambrian Go-Karts21st
Challenge of the Americas - PSL West Mini Max9th
2016SKUSA SuperNationals XX - X30 JuniorCambrian Go-Karts43rd
2019Asian Karting Open Championship - X30 Junior2nd
2020IAME Asia Cup - X30 SeniorAutoInc Racing16th

Racing record

Racing career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
2022 USF Juniors IGY6 Motorsports400003225th
W Series W Series Academy 70000215th
Indian Racing League Bangalore Speedsters500004617th
2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship Prema Racing 150000327th
F1 Academy 2120041167th
Italian F4 Championship 30000044th
USF Juniors Exclusive Autosport300002717th
Macau Formula 4 Race BlackArts Racing 20000N/ADNF
2024 F1 Academy ART Grand Prix 140011737th
Italian F4 Championship 30000052nd
Euro 4 Championship 30000034th
Formula Winter Series GRS Team80000040th
F4 British Championship Hitech Pulse-Eight 30000629th

* Season still in progress.
† As Bustamante was a guest driver, she was ineligible for points.

Complete W Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeam1234567DCPoints
2022 W Series Academy MIA1
9		 MIA2
14		 CAT
15		 SIL
17		 LEC
15		 HUN
Ret		 SIN
15		15th2

Indian Racing League results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearFranchise123456789101112Pos.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		17th46

Complete F4 UAE Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeam123456789101112131415PosPoints
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		27th3

Complete F1 Academy results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeam123456789101112131415161718192021DCPoints
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		7th116
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
16		 LSL
2
C		 ABU
1
5		 ABU
2
7		 ABU
3
14		7th73

Complete Italian F4 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeam12345678910111213141516171819202122DCPoints
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
44th0
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
52nd0

* Season still in progress.

Complete Formula 4 South East Asia Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrant1234567891011PosPoints
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

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeam123456789101112DCPoints
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
40th0

Complete F4 British Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeam1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132DCPoints
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 		BHGP
4 		29th6

Complete Euro 4 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeam123456789DCPoints
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		34th0

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippe Alliot</span> French racing driver (born 1954)

Philippe René Gabriel Alliot is a French former racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from 1984 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emanuele Pirro</span> Italian racing driver (born 1962)

Emanuele Pirro is an Italian racing driver who has raced in Formula One, touring cars and in endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which he has won a total of five times. Two times Italian Karting Champion, Formula Fiat Abarth Champion (1980), two times Italian Touring Car Champion, two times Italian Overall Champion and German Touring Car Champion (1996), he also achieved records in endurance racing that place him amongst the best in the discipline, including; five wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, two times ALMS Champion, two times winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring, three times winner of Petit Le Mans, winner of the 24 Hours Nürburgring (1989), two times winner of the Macau Guia Race and two times winner of the Goodwood RAC Historic TT. He has taken part in over 500 official national and international races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Schumacher</span> German racing driver (born 1999)

Mick Schumacher is a German racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Alpine. Schumacher competed in Formula One from 2021 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nyck de Vries</span> Dutch racing driver (born 1995)

Hendrik Johannes Nicasius "Nyck" de Vries is a Dutch racing driver, currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota and in Formula E for Mahindra. In formula racing, De Vries competed in Formula One at 11 Grands Prix from 2022 to 2023, and won the 2020–21 Formula E World Championship with Mercedes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Fuoco</span> Italian racing driver

Antonio Fuoco is an Italian racing driver who is currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Ferrari AF Corse in the Ferrari 499P. He also serves as a development driver for the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One team and is a junior driver for the Competizione GT. He previously competed in Formula 2 for Charouz Racing System, and is a former member of the Ferrari Driver Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Barnicoat</span> British racing driver

Ben George Barnicoat is a British racing driver. He is a Lexus Racing USA factory racing driver, making his IMSA Sportscar Championship debut in 2022. He claimed the GTD Pro championship title when he returned for a second season with Lexus and Vasser Sullivan Racing, scoring nine podium finishes on his way to securing a maiden IMSA title for him and Lexus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Álex Palou</span> Spanish racing driver (born 1997)

Álex Palou Montalbo is a Spanish racing driver who drives for Chip Ganassi Racing in the IndyCar Series, where he won the 2021, 2023, and 2024 championships, and winner in the $1 Million Challenge. He is the first Spanish racing driver to win a National Championship in American open-wheel racing history and also the first Spaniard to win in the GP3 Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahaveer Raghunathan</span> Indian racing driver (born 1998)

Mahaveer Raghunathan is an Indian racing driver. He is currently competing in the Italian GT Championship with Lazarus Corse and is also an AMR Junior Team driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amna Al Qubaisi</span> Emirati female racing driver

Amna Al Qubaisi is an Emirati racing driver. On 16 December 2018, she became the first Middle Eastern woman to take part in a motorsport test program for Formula E after the Diriyah ePrix in Saudi Arabia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marta García (racing driver)</span> Spanish professional racing driver

Marta García López is a Spanish racing driver who currently competes in the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship with Iron Dames. She most recently competed in F1 Academy for the team in 2023, becoming the inaugural champion of the series with two races to spare. She is a race winner in the W Series and won titles including the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy and the Trofeo delle Industrie in 2015, the oldest kart race in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dino Beganovic</span> Swedish-Bosnian racing driver (born 2004)

Dino Beganovic is a Bosnian-Swedish racing driver who is set to compete in the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship with Hitech Pulse-Eight. He is a race winner in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, finishing sixth in both seasons he competed in 2023 and 2024 with Prema Racing. He was the 2022 Formula Regional European champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriel Bortoleto</span> Brazilian racing driver (born 2004)

Gabriel Bortoleto Oliveira is a Brazilian racing driver, who most recently competed in the FIA Formula 2 Championship for Invicta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamda Al Qubaisi</span> Emirati racing driver

Hamda Al Qubaisi is an Emirati racing driver. In June 2021, she became the first woman in the history of Italian F4 to score a podium, achieving third place in the first race of the season at Misano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ugo Ugochukwu</span> American racing driver (born 2007)

Ugo Ugochukwu Orlandi is an American racing driver set to join Prema Racing in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship. He most recently competed in the Formula Regional European Championship with Prema Racing. He previously finished third in the F4 British Championship racing for Carlin and was runner-up in the 2023 Italian F4 Championship for Prema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brando Badoer</span> Italian racing driver (born 2006)

Brando Badoer is an Italian racing driver who is set to drive in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship for Prema Racing. Most recently, he competed for Van Amersfoort Racing in the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship. He previously competed in Italian F4 in 2022 and 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Gamble (racing driver)</span> British racing driver (born 2001)

Tom Gamble is a British racing driver who currently races for United Autosports in European Le Mans Series. He is a Ginetta Junior champion, a BRDC British Formula 3 race winner, and has previously competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He won the Autosport BRDC Award in 2018, for which he received a prize Formula One test with McLaren. Five years later, in 2023, Gamble joined McLaren as a factory driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doriane Pin</span> French racing driver

Doriane Pin is a French racing driver who is part of the Iron Dames programme and the Mercedes Junior Team. She currently races in F1 Academy with Prema Racing and in the Formula Regional European Championship with the Iron Dames.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aurelia Nobels</span> Brazilian racing driver

Aurelia Corine Nobels is a Brazilian-Belgian racing driver, competing in F1 Academy with ART Grand Prix. She is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tina Hausmann</span> Swiss racing driver (born 2006)

Tina Larissa Hausmann is a Swiss racing driver who currently competes in F1 Academy for Prema Racing. She has previously competed for AKM Motorsport in Formula 4, scoring an overall podium in the Formula Winter Series and winning the women's trophy in both Italian F4 and Euro 4.

Ella Mai Lloyd is a British racing driver from Wales who will be competing in the 2025 season of F1 Academy for Rodin Motorsport as a member of the McLaren Driver Development Program. She previously competed in the 2024 F4 British Championship, and was the runner up of the 2023 Ginetta GT5 Challenge.

References

  1. ↑ "W Series' first 2022 test to take place in the USA using F4 cars". Formula Scout. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  2. ↑ "Belen Garcia tops W Series' Barcelona test, three more drivers confirmed". Formula Scout. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  3. ↑ "2022 Driver Line-Up Revealed". W Series. 22 March 2022. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  4. ↑ "PREMA, Mumbai Falcons set for 2023 start with full ranks". Prema Team. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  5. ↑ "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.
  6. ↑ "Bianca Bustamante gets podium in inaugural all-female race". ABS-CBN . 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  7. ↑ "R01 RED BULL RING - F1 ACADEMY RACE REPORT". Prema Racing . 1 May 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  8. ↑ "Round 2 qualifying results amended". F1 Academy . 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  9. ↑ "Bianca Bustamante claims inaugural F1 Academy win in Race 2 at Valencia". F1 Academy . 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  10. ↑ "F1 Academy driver Bianca Bustamante on life in the fast lane". dw.com. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  11. ↑ "Marcos lauds Bianca Bustamante". Manila Times. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  12. ↑ "Bianca Bustamante claims second career win in F1 Academy in Monza". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ "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.
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ "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.
  17. ↑ "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.
  18. ↑ "Pin, Al Qubaisi and Lovinfosse penalised following Jeddah Race 2". F1 Academy . 9 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  19. ↑ "Bustamante 'heartbroken' with costly start error as she sets out ambitions for Race 2". F1 Academy . 4 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  20. ↑ "RACE 2: Pulling completes the Miami double with masterful victory". F1 Academy . 5 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  21. ↑ Solanki, Shayni (25 August 2024). "Pulling claims F1A Race 1 victory in Zandvoort". Motorsport Week. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  22. ↑ Solanki, Shayni (25 August 2024). "Pin cruises to F1A redemption victory in Zandvoort". Motorsport Week. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  23. ↑ "Bianca Bustamante to make Italian F4 debut at Spa". Racers Behind The Helmet. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  24. ↑ "Bianca Bustamante makes appearance in Euro 4 and Italian Formula 4 Championships for Monza rounds". biancabustamante.com. 2 October 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  25. ↑ "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.
  26. ↑ "Pulling Fastest In Formula E's First Women's Test". Formula E . 8 November 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  27. ↑ Andaya, Ed (29 August 2022). "Bianca's life in the fast lane". Journal News. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  28. ↑ "Meet F1's first woman driver - Filipino-American Bianca Bustamante, Mclaren's latest rising star and racing phenom". The Star. 22 September 2024.
  29. ↑ "Who are the most influential female drivers in Europe and worldwide?". Avis Car Rental . Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  30. ↑ 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.
  31. ↑ Suttill, Josh (27 December 2023). "McLaren F1 junior apologises for liking anti-Stroll ableist tweet". The Race. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.