On the eve of her F1 Academy races in Jeddah, up-and-coming McLaren driver Bianca Bustamante has confessed to “personal battles that no one knows of.”
The 19-year-old racer, who began her career as a youngster on the karting track in Macao, opened up to during a media roundtable about her mental struggles and how often she linked her “self-worth” to the sport.
“There are a lot of things you need to learn about motorsports,” she said during a video interview earlier this week, “and it’s not always about being the fastest.” She described herself as “very fortunate to have a sports psychologist with me throughout this whole process given by McLaren.”
She also mentioned former F1 driver Emanuele Pirro, F1 business operations director Stephanie Carlin and her manager Darryl O’Young as people who have helped prepare her for the track.
Having recently raced at the Macau Grand Prix Guia Circuit, Bustamante knows what it’s like going through tight corners. She has also raced at Monza, which she claims to be her all-time favourite track, and says Jeddah comes a close second.
McLaren’s F1 driver Lando Norris visited Bustamante before the F1 Academy qualifying sessions, where she placed fifth and tenth respectively yesterday.
The driver then took to her social media and said “We were fastest on the first few laps before I grazed the wall on entry of turn 1 and put the car out of alignment. Minor setback [but] let’s bounce back on this.”
Click here to keep up with the Filipina driver’s race schedule. The first race is set to take place today at 8:30 pm local time.
What is the F1 Academy?
The F1 Academy is a female-only single-seater championship – giving young women a chance to compete at the highest level and maybe someday join the Formula 1 races.
“We’ve made a massive step in motorsport which goes to show how one small thing can lead to a big massive movement,” Bustamante says. “And we’re [definitely] seeing more women in the sport.
Leading the charge is Susie Wolff, former professional racing driver and current managing director of F1 Academy. Wolff was the Williams Formula 1 team development driver and was also the team principal of the Venturi Formula-E Racing Team and co-founder of Dare To Be Different. She is married to Mercedes F1 team principal and CEO, Toto Wolff.
Having more than 25 years of racing experience, Wolff understands the challenges of being a female race driver and hopes to pass the next generation not just her knowledge, but all the connections she’s made.
The F1 Academy achieved a landmark this year by partnering with all of the best F1 teams and will have 21 races this year that will run across seven weekends.
“We want to use this platform to inspire the next generation and to see this environment isn’t as male-dominated as you think,” Wolff told Sports Illustrated.
The F1 Academy is in its second year, with Prema and Spanish driver Marta Garcia claiming the title in its inaugural season. British beauty brand Charlotte Tilbury recently made waves by becoming the F1 Academy’s official partner.
