Formula 1 has grown increasingly popular in the Philippines over the past few years. But one personality every Filipino racing fan should know is motorsport driver Bianca Bustamante.
Love at First Sight for the Young Bia from Laguna
Born last January 19 2005 from the province of Laguna, Philippines, “Bia” grew up loving the go-kart with a heavy influence from her father.
Her Father, Raymond Bustamante, is both a driver and a long time enthusiast of karting in the Philippines. This led to Bia’s participation in racing competitions at the age of 5 years old.
Then at the age of 10 years old, she has already pursued Race Karting seriously as she finished 9th in the Challenge of the Americas – PSL West Mini Max and participated in SKUSA Supernationals XIX – TaG Cadet back in 2015.
And if being the overall champion in the 2019 Asian Karting Open X30 Junior Championship wasn’t the best highlight of her young career, she defeated all odds and achieved more in order for Filipinos to be recognized in International Racing.
The 1st Ever Filipina to be in the F1 Academy
Adding more reasons why the McLaren should be a Filipino fan favorite, the racing team selected Bianca back in 2023 as part of the F1 Academy.
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.”
And even if she didn’t make it to the Formula 1 racing itself, her resume is still incredibly stacked.
- 2024
F1 Academy – seventh overall with one podium and one fastest lap
Euro 4 Championship – three races
Italian F4 Championship – three races
British F4 Championship – three races
Formula Winter Series - 2023
F1 Academy – seventh overall with two wins and four podiums
F4 UAE Championship
F4 Macau Grand Prix
USF Juniors – three races
Italian F4 Championship – three races - 2022
Indian Racing League
W Series – seven races
USF Juniors – four races - 2020
Karting – IAME Asia Cup – X30 Senior
Bianca is such a remarkable athlete, that she has her very own website! It even allows the public to get a detailed look at her impressive racing career.
“Racing is not relatable. It’s so expensive, so inaccessible. My job is to make my story relatable, to let people see themselves in me.”
- Bianca Bustamante via Tatler Asia
In a field where it’s not only male dominated but is also viewed as a “high class sport”, Bia’s humble beginnings gave her the opportunity for the majority of her Philippine fans to get to know her true self more and at the same time, understand the sport even better.
And with regards to being “original”, Bianca didn’t hold back on what was needed from her with regards to getting sponsorships in the sport she loves.
“You have to be the whole package..you need to speak well, look well, market yourself, understand business, 10 different things all at once… and still be authentic.”
The Dark Horse
Bianca was given the nickname “The Dark Horse” 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.
Morena Beauty on Top!
More than her skills, mindset and passion for motorsport racing, the 20 year old is also serving “looks” off the race track to go along with her tanned skin tone.
In the Philippines, having brown skin is called “Morena” and Bia is definitely raising the flag internationally for that Morena Beauty.
Debut for the Grand British Racing
To begin 2025, Bianca Bustamante announced that she will be participating in the GB3 Championship under Elite Motorsport and will leave the F1 Academy after 2 years.
When asked about her thoughts with her new home last April 2025, this is what she has to say:
“I’m taking everything in. Like, every time I go to the track, I see the team, I see the car. I’m like, bright-eyed, wide-smiled every single time. I am really like, just filled with lots of emotions.”
“I’ve always said it’s progress that makes everything so worth it—the journey, the unknown, the fear, the butterflies you get before you get in a car, the butterflies you get when you do your first lap, when you put new tires on, when you warm up. Everything still feels new, even though I’ve been raising single-seaters for quite a while. I get in the car, and I still feel like I know nothing. I feel like a rookie every single time, which I am. It’ll be my rookie season in the GB3 championship. There are a lot of new things that I have to understand, that I have to learn … So I’ve been loving it. I’ve been loving the growth.”
Up Next: Final Round of 2025 GB3 Championship in Monza, Italy
The last round of the GB3 Championship that Bianca will be part of will be in Monza, Italy which will be this October 18 – 19.
And although the Filipina Dark Horse has not made a podium finish yet, many fans are hoping she’ll pull one last final surprise.
“I never take no for an answer,” says Bianca, describing her life-long mentality for the sport. “I’ve wanted this my whole life, and I’ll keep going until I get there.”
