A trail blazer at age 18.
From fangirl to team member, Bianca Bustamante has proven that dreams do come true, no matter how big they are.
Bustamante, who's part of the Formula One (F1) Academy, made history when she became the first female to join the McLaren Driver Development program. Consequently, she now has a chance to follow in the footsteps of F1 superstars whose skills were honed under the British team’s pipeline, most notably Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris.
When it was announced that Bustamante will also represent McLaren by running the team's livery on her F1 Academy race car for the 2024 season, the Filipina speedster’s reaction was priceless.
“Every single event I went to, F1, Formula E, IndyCar, I was always with McLaren. I wasn’t expecting this opportunity to come about that I would actually be part of the team,” Bianca excitedly said in an interview with McLaren.
As a member of Prema Racing, Bustamante has two wins and two podium finishes in this year's F1 Academy. Heading into the final round of the series at the US Grand Prix in Austin, the 18-year-old sensation must be motivated more than ever, considering the massive career milestone she just recently achieved.
Best believe, she’s not going to take anything for granted every step of the way.
“’That’s why I learned to be grateful for a lot of things because I was once literally fangirling, just looking up to all these people, watching them on TV,” Bustamante admitted.
“I wasn’t expecting to wear the (McLaren) t-shirt or be part of the team one day but I am now so it kind of makes everything unimaginable,” she added.
Bustamante joins McLaren’s training program, which helps drivers elevate to Formula 1, IndyCar, and Formula E.
(PM)