On May 6, Bianca Bustamante made history for the country as she won a podium during the Formula 1 (F1) Academy that was held in Spain.
Playing under the PREMA racing team based in Italy, Bustamante is the first Filipina to ever stand on the podium, garnering the championship for the said racing competition.
“My first career victory!” Bianca captioned in her Instagram post. During her podium victory, the national anthem was played during an F1 Academy race for the first time, which is a significant accomplishment for the Philippines, which rarely produces top-tier motorsport athletes.
Bustamante earned ten points for completing the 11-lap Circuit Ricardo Torno track.
She won the race in 18 minutes and 49.969 seconds, holding off Lena Bühler of the ART Grand Prix by just 0.741 seconds. Bustamante currently has 38 points, placing her fifth overall.
“So to be representing on behalf of the Filipino people and Southeast Asia, it has been a complete and true honor of mine to be able to raise the flag and be proud of where I am from and how my countrymen are supporting and rallying behind me. It truly has been an amazing experience.” Bustamante said.
Following her achievement, President Bongbong Marcos penned a congratulatory message for her.
“We are filled with pride upon hearing the Philippine national anthem played on the F1 stage for the very first time! […] Continue to break barriers and inspire young women around the world,” the president said.
This was then acknowledged by the Filipina racer stating “Motorsport is still an emerging sport in our country but I am proud to be a race driver and hopefully all this work and discipline is able to inspire the kids out there that anything in life is possible.”
Bustamante also disclosed that she is grateful and proud to represent the country in a prestigious and well-known race.
The following race for Bustamante will take place from May 19 to 21 in Barcelona, Spain.
The recently established F1 Academy is holding a single-seater race with only female drivers; 15 drivers are competing for five teams in seven rounds.
Every round consists of three races, followed by two qualifying sessions. The event also includes two open practice sessions.
Bustamante had previously bagged championship awards in 2014, 2018, and 2019 for the Macau International Kart Grand Prix Championship and the Jr. Asian Karting Open Overall Championship in 2019 as well.
The Filipina racing star also has her own website page dedicated to her racing passion and competition.
Photo Credit:
https://www.instagram.com/racerbia/, https://www.instagram.com/f1academy/
https://www.instagram.com/racerbia/, https://www.instagram.com/f1academy/
