Bianca Bustamante revs up for Grand Macau GP debut in F4

Photo from racerbia/Instagram

Filipina-American racer Bianca Bustamante continues to gain momentum, and there’s no sign of her slowing down.

Amid the thrilling realm of motorsports, the 18-year-old Filipina sensation has been steadily climbing the ranks, and now, this racing prodigy is all set to embark on her maiden race at the Macau Grand Prix.

The Laguna native is all geared up to participate in the non-championship round of the 2023 Formula 4 South East Asia Championship. As she represents the BlackArts Racing team, her journey will take her to the renowned Guia Circuit, a 6.1-kilometer track known as one of the world’s most challenging street circuits.

With its narrow layout, breakneck speeds, and unforgiving tight corners, some have even likened it to making the famed Monaco track seem easy by comparison.

For McLaren’s first Filipina driver, this will be her third foray into professional street tracks, following her prior appearances at the Miami GP and the Singapore GP.

“Growing up in Asia, it was always one of the most iconic tracks, known to be really fast, narrow, challenging, and extremely unforgiving,” Bianca Bustamante shared in her Instagram. “I grew up racing karts in Macau, but to finally take on the Guia Circuit is another check on my list.”

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It’s certainly a dream come true for this young driver who recently finished seventh in the first F1 Academy season. But this time, she confessed she has to prepare and equip herself more.

“First thing I’ve learned is this track deserves tremendous respect, so I’ll be patient and try to get as much from this experience as possible. I have put in a lot of preparation and feel very focused on the task.”

In a recent interview with C! Magazine, BlackArts Racing’s Sporting Director, Alex Yoong, expressed his confidence in the Filipina driver, saying, “She is a driver I’ve been watching since she was winning in karts here in Asia. We’ve seen her up close, from testing at Sepang to working on the simulator, and we think she has fantastic potential to go all the way.”

Bustamante has been making significant buzz in the motorsports world recently. She made headlines when she became the first female driver to be inducted into the prestigious McLaren Driver Development Programme, showcasing her immense talent and potential and everyone’s excited to see her compete in the 2024 ART Grand Prix.

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Her Macau GP debut is scheduled for Nov. 11 to 12, where she will be piloting her number 19 Formula 4 car.

“This will be one of my biggest challenges of 2023, but I’m ready to face it head-on and with a smile,” she concluded.