Meet teen Filipino-American Formula One star, Bianca Bustamante: the winning McLaren team member began go-karting at age 3, and wows fans with her fashion, fitness and travel posts on social media

Dec 21 , 2023

Bianca Bustamante, the teenage Filipino racing sensation. Photo: @racerbia/Instagram

Sweeping top prizes at go-karting events in the Philippines since age 5, she eventually moved with her family to San Francisco and now lives between the two countries

Off the track, she glams up in Prada ‘fits at events, and is vocal about the challenges women face in the sport, especially securing funding and sponsorships

Bianca Bustamante finished the inaugural 2023 F1 Academy season with two wins and the seventh spot in a field of 15 drivers. With team Prema Racing, the 18-year-old Bustamante has been making waves at the all-female Formula One series and winning over fans worldwide with her talent and looks.

The F1 driver has been go-karting since age three. By age five, she was already sweeping up top prizes at go-karting events. She eventually moved with her family from the Philippines to San Francisco, and currently splits her time between Laguna in the Philippines, and San Jose, California.

Bianca Bustamante started go-karting when she was three years old. Photo: @racerbia/Instagram

With years of experience behind the wheel, Bustamante competed in her first preseason test race in January 2022 at the W Series in Arizona. She spent the year at other W Series test races, travelling to Barcelona and ultimately landing herself a spot on the 2022 W Series season.

She would go on to race in the Formula 4 UAE Championships earlier this year before qualifying for the new all-female F1 Academy race.

Following her F1 Academy performance, the McLaren Driver Development Programme announced she would join the team. In an interview with Formula One, she describes being signed to the McLaren team as “beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined”, revealing that she fell in love with racing at a young age.

Having reached success barely two years into her professional career, Bustamante is turning heads with her speed and style. With more than two million followers combined on various social media platforms, the Filipino racer shares titbits from her travels with fans.

Apart from the motor track, Bianca Bustamante is an avid photographer. Photo: @racerbia/Instagram

The avid photographer recently revealed her passion for the arts on Instagram, where she described photography as a source of escape from her whirlwind life. She shares her work with her fans on social media, too.