Bianca Bustamante starts in Formula Winter Series

Bianca Bustamante celebrated two race wins in the F1 Academy in 2023. This year, the 19-year-old from the Philippines will also be competing in the junior racing series for young female talent, and McLaren has signed her up as a junior driver for the upcoming racing year. To prepare for the season in the Formula 1 support programme, Bustamante will compete in the Formula Winter Series in Jerez, Valencia and Motorland Aragon. She will compete for the GRS team.

In 2024, Bustamante is part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme and is aiming for the top of the F1 Academy this season. As part of her training for the new season, she began a test programme with GRS in December. The results were positive and she will now have to continue working towards the F1 Academy. The Formula Winter Series, where a large, competitive field is expected, will be the final test for Bustamante.

“I’m looking forward to taking part in the Formula Winter Series in Spain! This will be my debut in this series, where I will have the chance to test my skills against some of the best F4 drivers in Europe. It’s a short series, but it’s good preparation for the F1 Academy season starting soon, which is my main programme this year. I am very grateful to the GRS team who have done a great job preparing for the races during our recent tests. My special thanks to Lance East Exotics and McLaren Racing for their continued support on my journey so far. And finally, thanks to all my fans for their enthusiasm and encouragement in my racing career. I really can’t wait to get out on track this week!” said Bustamante, full of anticipation.

Josep Trinidad, CEO and Team Manager of GRS: “We are delighted to have Bianca in our Formula Winter Series line-up. The team was aware of her career and her enormous potential, and the results she has achieved in the tests at GRS confirm this potential. As a team, we are rising to the challenge with the aim of providing Bianca with the best conditions and environment for her development as a rider. We are very confident that we will have a successful season together. On behalf of the team, we would like to thank Bianca and McLaren Racing for their trust.”