Bianca Bustamante primed for Eurocup-3 season after promising Winter Series campaign

Official Release
9 hours ago
3 min read

The rising Filipina talent is stepping up to Eurocup-3 for the 2026 season
The move represents a crucial stage in Bustamante’s development toward FIA Formula 3 and her ultimate dream of Formula 1
After a successful three-round Winter Series, the 21-year-old enters the main Eurocup-3 championship with momentum and confidence

Bianca Bustamante has wrapped up a strong debut in the Eurocup-3 Winter Series, using the three-round campaign as crucial preparation ahead of her first Eurocup-3 main championship season.

In both the Winter Series and the upcoming main title chase, the 21-year-old is racing with Palou Motorsport in partnership with PREMA Racing; the team with whom she raced in the 2023 F1 Academy, securing two victories.

Bustamante’s Winter Series program – taking in Portugal’s Algarve International Circuit (20-22 February), Spain’s Circuito del Jarama (27 February – 1 March) and MotorLand Aragón (13-15 March) – marked her first miles in the all-new Dallara 326, which is powered by a Tom’s Toyota 1.6-litre turbo engine.

Across the three events, she adapted quickly to the demands of the car, the competition, and the circuits, showing steady progression in pace, confidence, and race craft.

Despite facing challenges which included illness, technical setbacks, and the steep learning curve of a new car and new category, Bustamante consistently demonstrated resilience and upward momentum, highlighted by a P13 finish amongst a strong 29-car field.

Across the three events she made clear gains in performance, delivered numerous multi-position climbs through the field, and impressed with her ability to manage pressure and maximise every opportunity in the highly competitive field, in which she was the sole female racer.

Accelerating her adaptation to Eurocup-3 machinery while also strengthening her working relationship with Palou Motorsport and PREMA, this campaign has provided a solid foundation for the season ahead.

Bustamante now turns her attention to testing and final preparations for the 2026 Eurocup-3 main championship, which will commence with round one at Paul Ricard in France on May 1-3.

Live timing and streaming is available for Eurocup-3 events at www.eurocup3.org and www.youtube.com/@eurocup-3

Bianca Bustamante

Driver - Palou Motorsport

“My first Eurocup-3 Winter Series campaign is certainly a journey I will always remember. This is a car I never thought I would even come close to driving, let alone racing in a 29‑car grid at this level. Every weekend brought new challenges, and every session helped me grow as a driver. The lows were tough, but the highs were so pure, and I am so grateful to Palou Motorsport, PREMA, and my engineer Luis for giving me a strong car and for supporting me throughout as we grew together and really found our rhythm. There was so much to learn across these three rounds, and I am proud of the progress we have made together. Now we turn our attention to the next step, heading into testing ahead of start of the main Eurocup‑3 Championship in May. I cannot wait to see what we can achieve this year.”