By NIKOLE JAVIER
Filipina racer Bianca Bustamante has made another step in her racing career.
The teen driver signed with PREMA for a full-season Formula 4 program in the F1 Academy.
Bustamante will continue to work with the highly acclaimed Italian team throughout 2023 and focus on her full driver development as she takes a major stride up the Formula 1 ladder.
Last year, F1 announced the launch of the Academy, a much-anticipated all-female racing championship set to be inaugurated this 2023.
The series aims to develop and groom a generation of female racing talent and eventually make their to F3 and F2 which ultimately leads to the pinnacle of racing.
“We are happy to announce Bianca for our new F1 Academy programme. We enjoy working together in the F4 UAE Championship and we feel there is great potential we can build on for the future. I think she will be an outstanding fit right from the start, especially considering what she was able to achieve in her first experiences, and we are determined to provide her with our best support,” said PREMA team principal Rene Rosin.
Bustamante is currently competing in the Formula 4 UAE Championship with PREMA and grabbed her first championship point with the team in the third round of the tournament after finishing in P10 at Kuwait last Feb. 1.
The 18-year-old from Laguna has made significant progress with the machinery and will continue to be provided with all-round development through significant testing and preparation for the grueling race calendar.
“I am so excited to be racing in the F1 Academy with PREMA in 2023. The team is incredible and I have already learned so much in the short period of time I have been with the team at the F4 UAE Championship. The F1 Academy is an amazing initiative for rising female talent in motorsports and I am looking forward to seeing what I can achieve with PREMA,” said Bustamante.