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It’s been 39 years since Niki Lauda won the Formula 1 World Championship for McLaren, 20 years before Bianca was even born, and yet she can recall his title victory as if it were only yesterday, such is her reverence for Niki and McLaren.

“Hi, I'm Bianca Bustamante, I'm a McLaren Development Driver in F1 Academy and I'm very happy to join the Papaya Family,” she says with the brightest of smiles. This is a day Bianca has always dreamt of, and now it’s here, she’s fiercely determined to make the most of it.

“Honestly, I’m still a bit speechless,” she continues. Bianca grew up in the Philippines studying old footage of Niki driving for McLaren in the ‘80s. It served as both an inspiration for her career and an education into how the sport’s elite operate and race. 

Her love of motorsport blossomed from a young age while spending time at local racing tracks with her father, Raymund, who brought Bianca her first race suit at the age of one, and her first baby kart at the age of three.

However, her pathway to racing hasn’t always felt obvious, given the Philippines, whilst bigger than the United Kingdom, isn’t known for motorsport.

“I think everyone from Asia will resonate with me when I say how difficult it is to break through into this scene because of the lack of opportunities and because we didn't have the facilities to even cater for formula racing cars in the Philippines,” Bianca explains. “We didn't have the tracks and we didn't have the cars, so it was virtually impossible to even think about making it. The fact that I'm here breaks all of those barriers.

“Five minutes before we posted that I was going to be a McLaren Development Driver, we put out this teaser video of all my photos turning from black and white to papaya and I opened the comments and they're like, ‘wait a minute. Is that Bia? That's Bia’.

“It was incredible reading all these messages in different languages from Asia, kind of seeing a whole continent come together for one thing, and that was my announcement. It was cool to experience and see.”

After winning multiple karting titles from the age of five, Bianca stepped up to single-seater racing in the W Series. PREMA Racing then ran her in the 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship, before confirming her as one of their drivers for the inaugural F1 Academy season.

“I think as a driver I'm always going to want more for myself,” Bianca says. “You go into every race wanting more, wanting to fight for the win or the podium. I went through this phase during that season where I doubted myself and my capabilities, but I think it's very normal for athletes, I think that's human.

“In those tough moments, I found strength in myself and accepted that as a young driver, I'm still trying to find myself. I am still learning and trying to make a career for myself, and with that mentality, I allowed myself to make errors.”

Throughout the tougher periods of her fledging career, Bianca has been fortunate to count on her growing fanbase, both back home and across the world.

“I love talking about this because I love speaking about the community that I have,” she says. “Without the people supporting me, I wouldn't be here now, and that's why I always do my best to give back: to share what it's like to be an athlete, to be this kid in this crazy world. I've used social media to share those journeys, to share the mistakes. I've loved the journey and people have supported me way beyond what I could ever have imagined.

“As a driver, you have this amazing platform that you can use to showcase your values, to show who you are, and to preach for things you believe in. I believe in a lot of causes, and I believe that it takes a village to build a champion.”

In her debut F1 Academy season, Bianca claimed her first podium in the season opener in Spielberg, her first win in Valencia, and another in Monza. Visibly emotional on the podium as she collected her winner’s trophy, Bianca’s self-belief grew throughout the season.  

“I was pretty emotional,” she says. “Coming from the Philippines, it meant so much to represent and stand there for every single Filipino across the world. That's what it felt like standing there. It's one thing to hear that anthem played, but it's another to hear it played because of you. That is something I'll never forget.

“I haven’t won the championship, so I’m not yet as successful as I want it to be, but that’s the driver in me talking. I have to remind myself, as one of the youngest drivers on the grid, that I'm competing with drivers way ahead of me in terms of years and experience.

“I get to learn from them and that is what F1 Academy has given us - a platform to learn from one another, to gain experience and to work with an amazing team, developing our craft and our skills and who knows where that will lead.”

Bianca – who was a student at the University of Santo Tomas Angelicum in the STEM and Engineering department - hopes to use her platform to inspire those from her home country and others wanting to race or work in motorsport to follow their dreams. Even at 19, Bianca feels a responsibility to be a role model and source of inspiration.

“I was chosen to be part of the Driver Development programme based purely on skill, and I think that says a lot,” Bianca says. “I hope that boys and girls out there can find it in themselves to believe in their dreams and to believe that they’re capable of so many things in life. There was a moment in time when I didn’t believe, but then when I did start to believe, I was able to get closer to my Everest.

“It is honestly incredible how inclusive this sport has become: We now have female race engineers and mechanics, women working in media, marketing and partnerships, literally every division in motorsport. That is my goal, to not just represent drivers, but all females who want to work in motorsport.”

Growing up, Niki Lauda was Bianca’s foremost inspiration from a racing perspective, but her connection to McLaren runs deeper. McLaren has always been her team - her phone case, bracelet, and the shoes she was wearing before being handed her first McLaren racing kit were papaya – and she was invited to attend the 2022 Indy 500 as a guest of then-Arrow McLaren driver Juan Pablo Montoya. 

Bianca always had her heart set on McLaren, and speaking on her first official visit to our factory, she is surrounded by some of our greatest-ever machinery, from Lauda’s title-winning MP4/2 to Ayrton Senna’s MP4/4 and Lewis Hamilton’s MP4-23.

“We went around the lake at the MTC, and I saw the centre, and I saw people eating lunch, and I was just watching because I couldn't believe how big it was,” Bianca says. “There is 60 years of history stored within this building and you feel it.

“All these people I look up to work and have worked here. To be on the same pathway as them is incredible. I am here for the first time, but I've been building my whole life towards this moment. Every step I've done, every hour in the gym, every day at the track, every lap, was working to this moment. I have a group of people who believe in me, and that pushes me forward.”

Racing for ART Grand Prix in a McLaren livery, Bianca will be one of 15 2024 F1 Academy drivers across five different teams. Having just turned 19, Bianca is the third-youngest on the grid.

The all-female series was launched in 2023 by Formula 1 to help prepare and develop female drivers to make the step up to higher levels of motorsport, providing them with track time as well as technical, physical, and mental support.

From 2024, the top five drivers in the standings will all receive Super License points, while drivers will also be restricted to two seasons in F1 Academy, aimed at ensuring progression up the junior motorsport ladder. 

2023 champion Marta Garcia and runner-up Léna Bühler will both be racing in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine next season, and those on the 2024 grid all harbour similar ambitions.

“Next year will be a big year for us,” she says. “The goal is to be up there fighting to win races and the title, fighting with heart and passion, but I also want to enjoy the moments, grow, and become a better driver, improving my technique.

“Racing for McLaren - that's not something that many people get to say in their lifetime. There's a lot of pressure, for sure, but I know that it will continue to push me forward. Diamonds are made under pressure, and I know that I'm able to strive in this environment.”

As drivers progress through our Driver Development programme, they get access to the team’s rich knowledge, including that of the programme’s Director, Emanuele Pirro, a former McLaren Formula 1 Test Driver, F1 driver and five-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner. Emanuele watches every session his drivers are competing in and is in continuous contact with them, offering support and advice.

Once they are deemed ready, drivers will be integrated into the wider McLaren Racing setup, working with our various teams, and gaining access to simulator sessions.

Bianca will also be supported by our Business Operations Director Stephanie Carlin, as well as former F1 test driver, Warren Hughes - who raced in the British Touring Car Championship, GT1 World Championship, and WEC.

“One of the things that I am most looking forward to is seeing myself grow with the support of McLaren, the Driver Development programme and F1 Academy,” Bianca says. “They're allowing me to grow on-track and off-track, giving me resources that I don't have, training facilities, the sim, guiding me. We have Emanuele Pirro here to guide, nurture, and help me grow.

“Having a whole team supporting me and being able to learn from them – imagine who Bia is a year from now?”

That year officially starts when the F1 Academy season kicks into gear on 7–9 March in tandem with the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with a further six rounds to follow. Keep your eye out on the F1 Academy website, here, for details of where you can watch Bianca’s races.