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Filipino wunderkind Bianca Bustamante continues to blaze trails as she races for PREMA racing team
Only months after after joining PREMA, Bianca Bustamante has already made history, becoming the first-ever Filipino to win a Formula 1 Academy race. This also happens to be PREMA racing team's third win of the season. The victory took place on May 6, 2023 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain where the 18-year-old race led from start to finish during the 11-lap race.
“I was just driving by feel that race, using all the experience we had gained throughout the whole week of testing,” Bustamante said on the F1 Academy website. “The team gave me an amazing car today and I am delighted to take home my first-ever career win today.”
The win also gave the young racer an impressive boost in the Drivers' Championship standings, with 38 points for fifth place.
Here's how the young Filipina got started in her career with PREMA:
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Following Bustamante's transition from karts to formula cars, the then-17-year-old racer was all set to make history at the upcoming Formula 4 UAE Championship. To kick off her 2023 season with the iconic Italian team, the racing star had competed in a 5-round, 15-race series in Dubai, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi.
She had aimed to develop her driving techniques during the winter series in preparation for the 2023 season. All the while, Bustamante received seat time in the new Tatuus F4 T421 GEN2 car throughout the event, which allowed the driver to get familiar with the car and the circuits. That exciting time allowed her multiple test days, free practice, qualifying and three races every weekend.
Christine Andas is a features writer and the style lead of Tatler Philippines. She mostly covers style-related content but enjoys writing about space, sneakers, and her favourite stars. She acquired a master's degree in Creative Writing at the University of Santo Tomas and has written young adult short stories which can be read online.
