Bianca Bustamante debuts with a bang in F1 Academy
Published May 1, 2023 06:37 am
Filipina racer Bianca Bustamante started on the right footing with a P2 podium finish in her debut in the inaugural F1 Academy race on Saturday, April 29, at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria.
The 18-year-old PREMA driver was on provisional P3, but found herself promoted to P2 following Campos Racing’s Nerea Martí’s post-race disqualification due to a non-compliance with the technical regulations.
In Race 1, Bustamante earned 18 points, behind PREMA teammate Marta Garcia who finished in P1 with 25 points.
The all-female series has three races per round and follows the same scoring system as Formula 1, where Bustamante started in the front row for the first qualifying round.
*Filipina driver Bianca Bustamante with F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff. (F1 Academy/Bianca Bustamante on Instagram)*
In Race 2, the Top 8 drivers were put on a reverse grid position where Bustamante then crossed the line ninth after starting P7. However, Bustamante failed to complete the three-race round on a high note after a technical issue forced her to retire the car in Race 3 after just two laps. Bustamante’s teammate, Garcia, meanwhile, also topped Race 3. The teen racer now sits in P6 in the drivers’ standing after the first round, while Garcia leads the championship fight with a total of 58 points in three races. “Drove my heart out. P2 in our first ever F1 Academy race!! Maraming Salamat, thank you to everyone who supported and pushed me to strive. Hunting for more next race,” said Bustamante in an Instagram post. Bustamante eyes a better finish when F1 Academy heads to Valencia, Spain on May 5-7 for the race weekend. Recently, the Filipina also had a meaningful encounter with F1 and French driver Esteban Ocon, who was left impressed by her work ethics. “I trained with a girl named Bianca, who was at the training center. She was the first to arrive and the last to [depart]. It was she had a gift right away. She understands how things should be done, she was super strong, super talented right away. While I have been doing things for years, I was doing the same exercises. She immediately managed to impress me,” said Alpine driver Ocon in an interview.
*Filipina driver Bianca Bustamante with F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff. (F1 Academy/Bianca Bustamante on Instagram)*
In Race 2, the Top 8 drivers were put on a reverse grid position where Bustamante then crossed the line ninth after starting P7. However, Bustamante failed to complete the three-race round on a high note after a technical issue forced her to retire the car in Race 3 after just two laps. Bustamante’s teammate, Garcia, meanwhile, also topped Race 3. The teen racer now sits in P6 in the drivers’ standing after the first round, while Garcia leads the championship fight with a total of 58 points in three races. “Drove my heart out. P2 in our first ever F1 Academy race!! Maraming Salamat, thank you to everyone who supported and pushed me to strive. Hunting for more next race,” said Bustamante in an Instagram post. Bustamante eyes a better finish when F1 Academy heads to Valencia, Spain on May 5-7 for the race weekend. Recently, the Filipina also had a meaningful encounter with F1 and French driver Esteban Ocon, who was left impressed by her work ethics. “I trained with a girl named Bianca, who was at the training center. She was the first to arrive and the last to [depart]. It was she had a gift right away. She understands how things should be done, she was super strong, super talented right away. While I have been doing things for years, I was doing the same exercises. She immediately managed to impress me,” said Alpine driver Ocon in an interview.