FLY GIRL

In the span of one year, BIANCA BUSTAMANTE has gone from having no seat and no funding to becoming the first female driver in the McLaren Driver Development Program. AUDREY CARPIO rides shotgun on the young woman's drive to success

- AUDREY CARPIO

The heat from the track shimmers the air as 16 identical Tatuus cars line up on the grid. It’s race day for the F1 Academy in Miami, and Bianca Bustamante is tucked inside her McLaren-orange car and her tropical themed Google AI-designed helmet, well positioned in P4. But when the red lights blink out, only 15 cars pull away. Bianca’s car sputters then stalls. For Filipino viewers, it’s a nail-biting moment watching the last car weave past her.

Coverage pans to the pack of cars as they chase their way around the circuit. Many long seconds pass until we finally see the papaya emerge from the haze, coming in like a rocket. Bianca is back in the race. Steadily she gains pace, overtaking one, two, then the next several cars. From trailing in the rear, Bianca’s determined sprint put her in P7 and earned her the fastest lap of the race. Her remarkable recovery was praised by the commentators.

On Race 2 the next day, everything went right, making up for the previous day’s mistakes. Bianca secured second place, her first win of her second season in the F1 Academy where she races for the ART Grand Prix team. With five more rounds of racing to go this year, there’s no doubt she’ll rise to any challenge thrown her way, and fans can count on her to spray more champagne on the podium.