Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 25) — Filipina driver Bianca Bustamante on Wednesday said she wants to take the Philippines to another level as she continues to make “herstory” after signing with the McLaren Driver Development Program.
“I want to show that Filipinos can drive really fast… I’m proudly carrying our flag with me in everywhere I go, in every race I compete in and I want to bring us to the next level,” she told CNN Philippines’ New Day.
The 18-year-old racer was recently announced as the first female to join the said initiative by British motorsport team McLaren, bringing her closer to her dream of taking on the F1 track.
Bustamante said being part of McLaren was a childhood dream she never thought would come true.
\”The fact that it is now reality just pushed me forward even more,\” she added.
The development program has connected her to the right people who give her the support and platform she needs to grow and excel, she said.
Bustamante finished 7th in the F1 Academy season with Italian team PREMA Racing.
\”It’s such a major improvement compared to how I was the previous year in the W series where I was struggling to find pace, I was barely in the top 10, I was barely scoring points and to be the youngest and the highest finisher now in F1 Academy, it really has shown all the progress we have made,\” she said.
