Happy Women’s Month! Right before March ends, a young Filipina has made history in the world of motorsports. Racer Bianca Bustamante has officially joined the roster of 22 drivers in the 2022 W Series season, the female equivalent of Formula One. Get to know this rising star with these fast facts:

She’s only 17 years old

Yes, she’s *that* young! The Filipina racer actually just turned 17 last January 19.

She started racing young

With a former karter as a father, Bianca has always been exposed to cars, karts, and racing.

“I figured out racing and cars and all that stuff when I was like a year old, because my dad was a former karter and everything around the house was just related to cars. And we were watching F1 or I would watch him race. So it was always just racing,” Bianca said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

Bianca was only 5 years old when she began joining local and international competitions, and she was only 6 when she won her first international race in the Macao International Kart Grand Prix. “When I won that, I just knew that I really wanted to do this. I would go the extra mile for racing.”

She has her own idols

In an interview with PhilSTAR L!fe, Bianca gushed over her racing idols, naming three-time F1 World Drivers’ Champion Niki Lauda in particular.

“Even in his time, he was the most disciplined driver, he was really a complete package,” the racer said. “He even said that though he won’t be able to win a race, he could win a championship – and that is a driver that I aspire to be.”

She has won many awards

Since she started driving, Bianca has joined many races and received several awards. She won the China Grand Prix Kart Scholarship 4 times and the prestigious Macao International Kart Grand Prix 3 times. She also qualified as 4th out of 91 participants in the 2015 SKUSA SuperNationals, which is one of the USA’s biggest kart races.

During her karting career, Bianca was the only Asian driver selected in the 2021 Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Girls on Track Rising Stars program.

She transitioned from karting to formula racing

After making a name for herself as a karter, Bianca moved from karting to single-seater racing. In 2021, she started training and testing for Formula 4 cars. Now she’s officially joining the W Series.

Her inclusion in the 2022 W Series is a historic win

Bianca has secured a full-season drive in the 2022 W Series, where she will drive in the Tatuus F3 T-318 formula car. She is one of the youngest racers in the series and the only driver selected this year to come straight out of karting.

This opportunity is also a dream come true for the young racer, especially as she continues to work hard towards her ultimate goal of competing in F1.

Bianca will be making her W Series race debut on May 6, 2022, which is also the first day of this year’s F1 Miami Grand Prix.

She likes to keep fit

As an athlete, Bianca always needs to be in tiptop shape. That’s why you’ll often find her sharing photos and videos from her workout sessions or going on runs and even bike rides.

She’s an art enthusiast

On Instagram, Bianca shared that if there’s one thing she enjoys as much as driving, she’d say it’s drawing and admiring art and architecture. As a frequent traveller, especially for her international competitions, the racer has seen a lot of the world, and she always tries to make time for her love for art.

You can follow Bianca on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to get updates on her journey in the W Series and beyond.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, and Youtube for the l8est entertaining, useful, and informative lists!