Bianca says her fans know her better than anyone, and while true, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing more to learn.

Ahead of the second round of the F1 Academy season in Miami, we spoke with the F1 Academy and McLaren Development Driver, where we discussed her upbringing in the Philippines, her favourite foods, including her dream birthday cake, and her love of art and creativity.

Where did you grow up?

I'm from Laguna, Philippines. Growing up in the Philippines makes you very open-minded about a lot of things - growing up in the Philippines taught me a lot.

What is the most important thing in your life?

My parents, they will always be there for me. They’ll never outgrow you and you’ll never outgrow them. My parents help me to achieve my goals and they are the backbone of who I am.

What is your dream birthday cake?

I love anime, so I would probably say a Psyduck Pokémon themed cake. I love Psyduck, I think I'm a bit of a Psyduck myself.

How would you describe your driving style?

I’ve only been driving formula cars for two years, so I'm still trying to find my groove and I'm still trying to find my strengths and my weaknesses. I'm still evolving and developing. Every race I go to, I find out new things about my driving that I didn't know before, which I think is cool. I am growing into the sport and finding new things out about myself every day. Overall, I like to be quite aggressive and attack on the track, especially the high-speed corners.

What is your favourite hobby away from the track?

I think art is my centre. I love everything creative. I love the fact that I get to create things with my hands, with my vision, with my voice, and with my social media. I think that what you create is so deeply rooted in who you are because it portrays so much about your personality, how you think and the way you live your life. I love art and I'm an artist myself. I paint portraits, I draw floor plans, and I create architecture.

Who are your best friends in racing?

My manager. I think I've always been so busy with the grind, and I’ve been so focused on achieving my goals that I’ve always had to set aside my personal life. I didn’t have a normal teenage life, and I do sometimes envy my fellow classmates who go to a regular school and live in dorms and had sleepovers. But I accept this because I have dreams that I want to achieve, and I have my manager, who I would say is my best friend.

Outside of that, in general, I have always surrounded myself with people who have the same mentality as I do, and help to shape me and bring new perspectives. I will always try to surround myself with my family, my parents and especially my brother.

My brother has autism and Down Syndrome, and my whole life I have tried to be there for him and take care of him. I have gained strength through that, from knowing that I fight for my brother as well as myself. I fight for autism and I fight for people like my brother. I was around three years old when I was told that my brother would not live much longer and that we should cherish the days we have with him, but years later, he is now turning 21. I still value every single day with him as if it is the last and I miss him whenever I travel.

What is your favourite cheat meal?

 I love chicken nuggets and there are a few good spots in the US that I’ve found. 

What type of music do you listen to?

This is a tough one. I am very indecisive when it comes to this. If you went through my playlist, it could be anything from acoustic violin to classic music, British rap, Central Cee, or anything else. I would say the bands I listen to the most, though, are Arctic Monkeys and CAS.

If you weren't a driver, what would you like to do as a career?

For the longest time, I've always wanted to be an engineer or an architect. I took STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in high school and I always wanted to be an engineer, architect or neurosurgeon.

Do you have any superstitions?

It isn’t a superstition, but I am very religious, and I pray all the time, as a Catholic – before I get in the car, before I eat, before an important event, I will pray.

What is the best thing about being a racing driver?

There are too many to mention. I don't think even a day would be enough for me to mention all of it. You get to drive cool cars and you get to meet all these people.

One of the things that melts my heart, apart from driving, is meeting all of the fans and the people who watch and support you. I feel so lucky to have that kind of fanbase and community, who watch me grow.

Which racing drivers do you look up to and admire?

Honestly, I look up to Oscar Piastri. Oscar used to drive for the same team that I drove for in 2023, PREMA Racing. I have spoken with a lot of the engineers who used to work with him, and they all say that he was one of those drivers who would go out on track and out of nowhere, he would be P1. It was crazy. You can see that now in Formula 1, how he is excelling so quickly. He’s learning and developing every day. He won the Sprint in his rookie year – that is insane. For me, I watch that and think about how we are now both at McLaren and that is amazing.

What is your career highlight to date?

Signing with the McLaren Driver Development programme.

What's your ideal holiday destination?

Back home in the Philippines. I travel so much that mentally, all I want to do is be back home, back in my small bedroom, eating a very Filipino meal with my hands surrounded by my family, in a space where you’re not a driver, you are just yourself. For me, that is a holiday.

What is something that fans wouldn't know about you?

That's tough because I think my fans know me the most, more than anyone. I would say, it is that I only have two molars. Apparently, it's quite rare to not have wisdom teeth. Just five per cent of the population only has two molars, sorry kinda random!