McLaren Racing have today revealed a new livery that Bianca Bustamante will run on her F1 Academy race car from the 2024 season.

Bianca, 19-years-old from the Philippines, became the first female driver to join the McLaren Driver Development programme in October 2023. She will also become the first driver to represent McLaren in the F1 Academy series, racing with ART Grand Prix in the upcoming 2024 season.

Flooded with papaya and elements of black, the striking new livery focuses on McLaren’s heritage by incorporating stand-out colours from Bruce McLaren’s iconic 1967 championship-winning M6A Can-Am, our first papaya-coloured McLaren.

Cisco, Official Primary Partner of the McLaren F1 Academy programme, will also be carried on the team’s F1A challenger as it races for the first time in Jeddah on 7 - 9 March.

Bianca’s Alpinestars race suit and Castore team kit will also have Cisco branding throughout the 2024 F1 Academy season.

Cisco is a leader in enterprise networking, video collaboration and security technology, and has been an Official Partner of the McLaren Formula 1 Team since 2021. The F1 Academy partnership builds on Cisco’s 60 Scholars collaboration with McLaren, an initiative supporting women in STEM career pathways.

Bianca will continue to race with number 16 following an impressive 2023 F1 Academy campaign. After securing two wins and two further podiums, she finished seventh in the Drivers’ Championship with 116 points.

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said:

“It’s great to see the F1 Academy livery revealed ahead of the upcoming season, the papaya design looks awesome and I’m looking forward to seeing it on track for the first time.

“The F1 Academy series is a fantastic initiative and creates a pathway for young female drivers to reach the highest levels in motorsport. We’re pleased to have Bianca involved in the McLaren Driver Development programme and we’re looking forward to seeing her compete in F1 Academy this season.”

Bianca Bustamante, Driver, F1 Academy and McLaren, said:

“The 2024 F1 Academy season is fast approaching and it's surreal that I'll be driving in the McLaren livery, I absolutely love it! The design is incredibly iconic, and I'm so looking forward to racing in papaya.

“I managed to take a couple of weeks off over the winter, but lately it has been full push both on and off the track to prepare for the first test in Barcelona. Many thanks to McLaren and ART Grand Prix for their continuous support and commitment to helping me become a stronger driver.”