Bianca Bustamante shines with podium finish on F1 Academy debut

MANILA: Last April, the F1 Academy series — Formula 1's all-female series, which aims to train athletes for more competitive racing — inaugural season began in the chilly and rainy Styrian Alps. Bianca Bustamante of the PREMA Racing team had a rollercoaster weekend, with the high of her first career podium in Race 1 and the low of being unable to start Race 3 because of a gearbox problem.

But overall, the young Filipina had a successful weekend thanks to a strong qualifying effort and admirable race pace that helped her finish sixth in the driver standings after Round 1 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria.

With two practice sessions and two qualifying sessions scheduled on a Friday, F1 Academy series has made a special effort to give all 15 drivers more seat time. Bustamante picked up the pace right away, placing herself in P2 for both qualifying sessions and starting alongside her PREMA Racing colleague Marta Garcia on the front row for Races 1 and 3.

This was particularly noteworthy given the hazardous weather, the unknown circuit, and her brand-new #16 Tatuus Autotechnica F4 vehicle. Bustamante struggled with driving in low-grip situations in 2022, but she has made remarkable progress since then. The young racer's ability to control the pace amid sluggish circumstances really came through throughout the course of the weekend, which served as a breakthrough.

Starting on the dirtier, wetter side of the track in Race 1 presented the Filipina teenager with her first significant test, dropping her to P3 following Turn 1. But as Bustamante settled into a rhythm and gained self-assurance on the still-damp 4.32km Grand Prix track, she controlled her pace and resisted the pressure from the chasing pack.

A four-car duel for the final podium slot began on the final lap of Race 1, which marked the beginning of all the action. Bustamante briefly dropped off the podium in Turn 2 while defending against their cars, but she remained composed and executed a remarkable switchback maneuver in the following turn to recover P3 and eventually cross the finish line.

She received the first podium of her professional career as well as the crucial 18 championship points after the car in front was disqualified due to a post-race penalty.

For Race 2's reverse grid, which reversed the order of the top-eight finishers in the first round of qualifying, Bustamante began from position seven. She had a strong exit from the starting line and battled the cars in front, but when she tried to pass one of them, she was driven off the track and had to give up a few positions. Despite a determined effort, she eventually finished in P9, just outside of the points-paying positions.

The major setback occurred in Race 3, where Bustamante was scheduled to start on the first row once more. However, PREMA Racing's gearbox experienced power problems. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the racer was unable to shift her gearbox, losing a significant opportunity to earn points.

Bustamante's PREMA Racing is presently leading the team championship, and she is sixth in the driver standings with 18 points from race 1. She has demonstrated that she will be a force to be reckoned with this season and has shown great promise to fight for the top step of the podium.

From May 5 to 7, Valencia, Spain's Circuit Ricardo Tormo will host the second round of the F1 Academy Series. Bustamante will be visiting Valencia for the first time, but her team is optimistic because she is using the simulator to understand the track during the week so she can take full advantage of yet another weekend with a lot of scoring opportunities.

Photos from F1 Academy

Also read:

Filipino driver Bianca Bustamante joins F1 Academy

Mighty medic: Aston Martin DBX707 fielded as 2023 F1 medical vehicle