Multiple Asian karting champion to come back to home continent for professional debut
Preparation in full swing for Bustamante ahead of race in Singapore
Filipino star completes successful test in Sepang
Filipino rookie, Bianca Bustamante, is all set to go racing once again at one of the biggest races of her season so far at the Singapore Grand Prix, scheduled to be held from the 30th of September to the 2nd of October 2022. For the 17-year old motorsport star - notably the only one on the W Series grid from Southeast Asia; this upcoming race will mark the much anticipated return to her home continent as a professional race driver.
The Singapore Grand Prix is one of the most anticipated motorsport events across Asia and this year is set to be extra special with the event finally taking place after being canceled for 2 years due to the global pandemic. The race will be held at the famous 5.07 km Marina Bay Street Circuit which is known to be technically demanding and the surface is infamously bumpy, adding to the challenge for drivers and excitement for spectators. A confidence booster is that Bustamante managed to score her maiden points in the series at Miami GP, which is also a street circuit W Series raced at in 2022. Additionally, she sits as the rookie with most points in the Drivers’ Standings and will be pushing hard to extend this advantage by scoring some important championship points at Singapore.
Rookie Season Building Momentum
Bustamante is in her first professional season straight out of karts and has faced a steep learning curve in the F3-spec all-women series. This season has been about learning and getting familiar with the new and highly sophisticated machinery and the teenage sensation has been steadily making inroads to improve her driving ability.
Leading up to the race weekend, Bustamante has been focusing on learning the street circuit thoroughly and extract ultimate pace from her #9 Academy Team Alfa Romeo Tatuus F3 T-318 car. Earlier this month, she conducted a 2-day test session with BlackArts Racing at Sepang International Circuit, under the guidance of former F1 driver Alex Yoong. The test was successful with Bustamante and the team achieving the targets they set out and giving the young racer more confidence with added seat time. She has also been spending an ample amount of time on the simulator, getting to grips with the braking points and fastest lines through the narrow track.
Bianca Bustamante | Driver, #9 W Series Academy Team
“Really happy to be coming back to Asia and Singapore as it’s a very monumental place for me, purely because I want to do a good job as well. Its surreal to be back here with W Series, the last time I raced here was in a kart. My life has been a whirlwind and so much has changed in the past year. I want to make a big leap forward in this race and show more pace overall as it’s a track no one’s been to before so I will be taking that to my advantage. I’ve been preparing very hard over the course of summer break, with the help of training and testing. I am so excited and looking forward to seeing all the Asian support there as well!"
