Filipino teen racer one step closer to W Series full-time seat
17-year old impresses with speed despite limited experience in formula cars
Bustamante amongst youngest drivers to take part in Spanish test
Up and coming motorsport star Bianca Bustamante continues her rapid rise up the racing ladder. She will be heading to Spain this week to take part in W Series’ three-day track test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya between 2nd and 4th March 2022. Despite her limited experience in formula cars, the 17-year old Filipino racer showed outstanding speed at the W Series pre-season evaluation test held 3 weeks ago in Arizona, USA. As a result, she has been selected as one of five drivers by W Series’ Racing Director Dave Ryan to have the opportunity to test alongside established W Series stars in Spain. Bianca will be one of the youngest drivers on the grid in Barcelona, where she will have an opportunity to drive the W Series Tatuus F3 T-318 car for the first time. The all-women championship eliminates any financial barriers, selecting drivers purely on ability, and providing a free-to-enter 8-race championship. She is determined to do her best at the test and secure a full-time seat in the series, which would be a massive boost in her journey to Formula 1. Bianca has been training hard in preparation for the test going through rigorous full-time fitness training in Indianapolis, USA. This was followed up with a two-day test in California with Doran-Kroll Competition, where she successfully completed over 300km of testing, giving her a very first taste of Formula 3 machinery. Bianca has proven her ability to adapt and learn quickly time and again despite having limited experience, having advanced from the world of karting at the start of 2022. She has raked in numerous karting championships in her already impressive 12-year junior racing career. Having started racing at the age of 5, Bianca’s life has been motivated by the dream of making it to Formula 1. She was amongst the fastest drivers at the W Series pre-season test even with just four days in a Formula 4 car and an unfamiliar track, showing great promise for the young female talent. Bianca’s natural talent has seen her advance up the ranks in spectacular fashion, and she is working extremely hard to be fully prepared for the upcoming W Series Barcelona test.
“I was so excited to get the news about heading to Barcelona for the official W Series test. It has been a whirlwind month as I continue an exciting start to my rookie formula car season. I had my first proper test in a Formula 4 car in California before the W Series shootout in Arizona. That was quickly followed up with an intense training camp at Pit Fit in Indianapolis, where I was able to gain a lot of knowledge and set my new fitness goals. I also reached a new milestone as I completed a two day test in California in a Formula 3 car. I’m pinching myself to see if that all actually happened! I’m just so thankful for the support of so many people along this journey. I’m working as hard as I can and I hope to perform well in Barcelona. Lets go!”
Bianca Bustamante | Racing Driver