10 Things to Know About Filipina Race Car Driver Bianca Bustamante
Three words you don’t normally see together is “Filipina” and “Racecar Driver”. Filipinos in motorsports is somewhat an anomaly- and that is exactly what Bianca “Bia” Bustamante is: an unexpected phenom that defies the norm. We rounded up some quick stats on this rising star.
Bianca is the first Filipina ever to be accepted into the F1 Academy for promising race car drivers.
For those of you who don’t follow Formula 1 Racing, the F1 Academy is an all-new, all-female series that aims to help develop and prepare young female drivers to progress to higher levels of competition. She told Tatler Magazine in October: “It is an honour and a great pride of mine to be the first Filipina and Southeast Asian in the W Series. I guess I’m paving the way for women and motorsport in Asia, because we don’t have many representatives. For girls to have someone to look up to in motorsport, I think that is my calling. Having that in my head just pushes me and motivates me so much. I inspire girls and they inspire me back in every way possible.”
2. In January 2023, it was announced that Bianca would race under Italian team Prema Powerteam for the 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship.
PREMA Racing will make Bianca the first driver in their three-car line-up for the inaugural F1 Academy season this year. For those of you who are new to racing, PREMA Racing is the Italian motorsports organization that is highly regarded and widely recognized as the third biggest name in Italy after Ferrari and Alpha Tauri.
3. Bianca made her debut last year competing in W Series, scoring points in her first race with a ninth-place finish in Miami, Florida.
The then 17-year-old went on to end the season 15th in the drivers’ standings, claiming the top rookie honors and gaining the attention of the global racing family. (Also check out the Philippine Flag on her car above)
The goal of the W series is to give exposure, opportunity and potential of aspiring young female racers to reach the highest levesl in motorsports and to provide young global talent currently in go-karting or other junior categories with access to experience and coaching required before going on to racing in F3 and eventually joining the pyramid to Formula 1.
4. Bianca is from Laguna, Philippines.
At age 18, Bianca hails from Laguna, Phillippines and was born on Jan 19, 2005. Laguna is a province just southeast of Manila and Laguna de Bay, and is known to be the birthplace of national hero, Jose Rizal, whose historical home has since been made a shrine and is a common tourist destination.
5. Outside of traveling for races, Bianca spends her time between Laguna, Philippines and San Jose, California.
6. She is currently still enrolled as a student of the University of Santo Tomas Angelicum.
She is considered a year 11 student at the University of Santo Tomas Angelicum, under the STEM and Engineering department. She is a big English Literature fan as well, citing her novelist as Charlotte Brontë.
7. Bianca started driving a go-kart at the young age of three years old.
She has been competing professionally in both local and international racing competitions since she was 6.
8. She inherited her love for racing from her father, Raymond Bustamante.
Her father has been a long time fan, driver and enthusiast in karting in the Philippines and Bia has said on multiple occasions that being on the track with him made her fall in love with motorsports.
9. The Bustamante family all work to support her motorsport dreams.
She told The Beat Manila last year in an interview: “It’s one of the toughest sports to get into. It has that stereotype that if you’re not rich, then you can’t pursue motorsport. But that’s something that I stand against because I come from a middle-class family. We live in a very provincial place, and we didn’t have the budget, that’s why my dad stopped pursuing motorsport and worked three jobs for me to live his dreams. So I always try to perform as best as I can and drive every single time as if it’s my last.
10. Bianca has been given the nickname The Dark Horse.
A “Dark House” usually means a little known contender (such as a racehorse) that makes an unexpectedly good showing in a race or performance. From her aptly named moniker, she is working on a series entitled The Dark Horse with her manager Darryl O’Young to bring exposure to herself as a brand and to financially support her career.
2023 is shaping up to be Bianca’s biggest year yet and is currently competing in the Formula 4 UAE Championship with PREMA ahead of her debut in the all-female series, scoring her first points of the season at the third round in Kuwait. Go, Bia, Go!
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