Bianca Bustamante just won her second race! The Filipina F1 Academy driver lapped her opponents on Sunday July 9 at Monza. She previously snagged her first historic victory during a race at Valencia, Spain. To make her win more impressive, Bustamate overcame a dangerous crash during Race 1 at Monza.
Bianca Bustamate shared her thoughts on her experience at Monza in a few detailed Instagram posts that you can check out below. We’re rooting for Bianca to secure a top spot in the standings before the season ends!
Formula racing is almost half way through its 2022 season and the driver standings are getting interesting. F3 Filipino driver, Bianca Bustamante is in Hungary with the W series, which pioneers women's racing, for this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. This was her first back-to-back race weekend before the summer break. Representing the W series, not only did Bianca get to race but also have a Formula 1 experience where she met drivers like Lewis Hamilton.
However, the weekend didn't go as planned under wet conditions as Bianca finished with a DNF. She made huge improvements from the qualifying round into race day, but the wet roads were unforgiving. Bianca shared that she caught water on the drying track and lost the rear of her car causing her to retire early in this GP.
Bianca keeps her head help high going into this 2-month break until the next race in Singapore. The street circuit is one of the most exciting courses with the coolest views, but she'll have to get ready for the heat and humidity that increases while in the cock pit. It looks like Bianca will be working with her team from now until October to raise sponsor funding for four days of track testing. We're excited for Bianca's next race and second half of the season to start!
Cover Photo Credit: Bianca Bustamante Instagram
16-year-old Filipina Bianca Bustamante is the next rising star in racing and one to keep tabs on. She was selected as the lone Asian representative for the 2021 FIA Girls on Track to compete for a place on the Ferrari Driver Academy. The Academy has a strong reputation of producing Formula One race stars.
According to the official press release, Bianca Bustamante hails from the Philippines and has been selected to participate in the FIA Girls on Track - Rising Stars Youth Scholarship Shoot-Out in 2021. This youth scholarship was launched by the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission in 2020 to promote more young women in motorsport. The up-and-coming young talent is one of 14 selected from over 70 applications around the world, to take part in the shoot-out, and is the only Asian driver chosen by the FIA.
“My primary goal [at the moment] would be to win the scholarship with Ferrari Driver Academy. Moving on from there, I just want to get into Formula 4, hopefully win a championship, make it to Formula 3, then move up the ladder.”
BIANA BUSTAMANTE
The 3-day shoot-out on October 21-23, is the first challenge for scholarship hopefuls like Bustamante and 13 other girls. The event will be at the Circuit Paul Richard, where the F1 French Grand Prix also takes place. Various race tests will be held at the circuit, with the best 8 performing drivers moving on to attend FIA training camps. From there, they will head to Fiorano, Italy for final tests in Formula 4 cars and the winner will be recruited into the FDA with full race scholarships.
The three-time Philippine Driver of the Year awardee and 2018 Philippine National Junior Karter of the Year, Bianca has been gearing up for this moment since she was 5 years old. The up-and-coming driver won multiple karting championship across Asia and looks to make the professional move to Formula Racing and take her racing career to the next level.
Check out her achievements so far:
Cover Photo Credit: Bianca Bustamante Facebook
