Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 7) — Another victory for the Philippines as Bianca Bustamante became the first Filipina to ever win in the newly formed all-female Formula 1 (F1) Academy race.
Under Italy-based PREMA Racing team, the 18-year-old dominated the second race of F1 Academy’s Round 2 in Valencia, Spain on Saturday.
“Stood at the top of the podium not as one but for the 113 million Filipinos,” Bustamante tweeted.
“Maraming salamat sa tiwala, sa suporta, sa pagsubaybay, at sa pagmamahal,” she added.
[Translation: Thank you for the trust and support, for watching, and for the love.]
Bustamante was followed by Swiss racer Lena Bühler and Emirati racer Hamda Al Qubaisi, who placed second and third, respectively.
Co-PREMA racers Marta García and Chloe Chong, who garnered four and three points, placed fifth and sixth, respectively.
Bustamante finished the 11-lapse Circuit Ricardo Torno track and gained 10 points. She is now fifth in the overall standing with a total of 38 points.
Race 3 will commence on Sunday afternoon to finalize the team’s score for round 2.
The next round of F1 Academy race will be in Barcelona, Spain from May 19 to 21 while the finale will be in Austin, Texas from Oct. 20 to 22.
The newly established F1 Academy is an all-female single-seater race. It features 15 drivers under five teams who will compete in seven rounds.
Each round is composed of three races with two qualifying sessions to determine the pole positions. The event also features two free practice sessions.
During the race, the drivers will use “Tatuus T421 chassis, with Autotecnica supplying turbocharged engines that will deliver 165 horsepower, while Formula 1’s Global Partner Pirelli will provide the tyres,” according to F1 Academy’s website.
Prior to F1 racing, Bustamante had won the Jr. Asian Karting Open Overall Championship in 2019 and the Macau International Kart Grand Prix Championship in 2014, 2018 and 2019.
The anthem was played, we raised the flag. We Won!!
100 emotions in 5min. Thank you everyone for believing in me. MY FIRST CAREER VICTORY!!!!!! Come on!!!!!!#LabanPilipinas#F1Academy #F1 #Prema #BB16 pic.twitter.com/d1nKZh7gV3
— Bianca Bustamante (@racerbia) May 6, 2023
