Bianca Bustamante becomes Mclaren’s first female driver
Mclaren signs 18-year-old F1 Academy driver Bianca Bustamante, making her the team’s first female driver
F1 Academy driver Bianca Bustamante just signed with the Mclaren Driver Development Programme, becoming the team’s first female driver. Born in the Philippines, Bianca started racing at five years old and has won multiple karting championships in Asia.
“I’m pleased that Bianca is joining our Driver Development programme. She’s a promising young talent who has a brilliant work ethic and is aligned closely to our team’s values. I look forward to working with Bianca on her development as a racing driver. We’re also excited for Bianca to be representing the team in the F1 Academy series and we look forward to seeing her race in papaya in 2024.”
- Emanuele Pirro, Director, McLaren Racing Driver Development
During this year’s F1 Academy season, she brought in two podiums for her current team, PREMA Racing. She will grow under the guidance of Emanuele Pirro, and this will hopefully bring her closer to competing in F1, IndyCar, and Formula E.
“The team are delighted for Bianca to join us, and for McLaren to be involved in F1 Academy. It’s a core principle of ours to be a diverse and inclusive team, so we’re pleased to be so involved in Formula 1’s work on the important topic of improving gender diversity within motorsport. We also look forward to seeing Bianca grow and progress within the McLaren Racing Driver Development programme under Emanuele’s guidance.”
- Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1
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