Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 23) – Teen racer Bianca Bustamante made history after she was selected as one of the 22 drivers in this year’s W Series season, the female equivalent of Formula One.
Bustamante is the first Filipino race car driver to clinch a seat in the prestigious racing competition.
The 17-year-old Filipino racing wunderkind is also one of the five drivers who will make their debut in the 2022 W Series season, and one of the youngest in the grid.
Bustamante said her selection for the 2022 W Series seat is a big step towards her ultimate goal of competing in F1.
“It is a dream come true and I am still pinching myself every day to check this actually happened,” said Bustamante.
Bustamante was chosen for her impressive showing in the pre-season testing held recently at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.
She also tested Formula 3 and Formula 4 cars in her other W Series tests in the United States and Spain.
Bustamante will make her W Series debut on May 6, coinciding with the inaugural F1 Miami Grand Prix.
The 2022 W Series will visit five new venues this year, including their first-ever round in Asia to be staged at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan.
Before her much anticipated W Series stint, Bustamante first made a name in the local and Asian karting scene. She was also the lone Asian driver selected in the 2021 Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Girls on Track Rising Stars program.
