Fresh out of her maiden season in GB3, 2025 has been Bianca Bustamante’s most challenging year to date. But with those difficulties have come moments of resilience, growth and a renewed desire to succeed. The Paddock Chronicle got the chance to talk with Bianca about the complexities of this year and take a look back at her story so far.
Bianca Bustamante. Racing Driver. Model. Social Media Influencer. Regardless of why you know her name, you know who she is – and that’s by design. At just twenty years of age, the Filipino is already one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet and is carving a unique path that multitudes of others will surely attempt to emulate in the years to come. A wearer of many hats, it’s Bianca’s on-track results that bind everything together this year – and in a way that should give everyone pause to reassess and redefine what success is and what it looks like.
Bianca Bustamante – Racing Origins
Following her karting career, Bianca made her single seater debut with four races in the USF Juniors Championship. She also competed in the final season of W Series. In both, her highest finishing result was P9.
Since then, and around her time in F1 Academy, Bianca has gone on to compete in multiple rounds of the Indian Racing League, Italian F4, British F4, the Formula Winter Series, Euro F4 and The Formula 4 South East Asia Championship. In 2023, Bianca raced for a full season of the F4 UAE Championship with Prema Racing too. All of that was somehow squashed into a three year period. It involved an enormous amount of time, energy, dedication and of course, money. While we’ll get to the latter later, the other elements showcase Bianca’s passion for turning her dream into reality and that she’s willing to go here, there and everywhere in order to achieve it.
Nation-building
Getting to compete internationally in single seater racing has also enabled Bianca to represent her home country and put it firmly on the motorsport map. Previously, names such as Angelo Barretto or Dante Silverio would have been novel names one learnt about in a pub quiz and while their stories are undoubtedly interesting in their own right, they are also very niche. Ask someone now to name a driver that heralds from the Philippines and there’s an obvious answer – Bianca Bustamante.
In much the same way that Alex Albon has been able to bring more attention to Thailand, Bianca is now doing the same for the Philippines. Sport is one of the few great unifiers and you’re seeing that in action around the world for Filipinos. It’s not just her dream that Bianca’s bringing to life now – it’s her country’s.
But that’s not all. Aside from national community following, Bianca is also helping to create discourse around the traditional masculinity of motorsport and challenging its place in the modern world. This not only further builds community around the world but also attracts people to join the conversation who may not have before, while also showing aspiring drivers that there is a place for them in the racing world, when before, it may not have seemed that way.
Bianca Bustamante – Forging a New Path
Bianca Bustamante’s usp as a female Filipino racing driver proud of her heritage has helped her to become one of the most visible racing drivers in the world. She has 1.7 million followers on Instagram and 1.5 million on TikTok alone. She’s blazed a unique path in the motorsport world so far that impresses some and frustrates others. Bianca’s appeared on billboards in Times Square in New York, been on the front cover of Vogue and was supported by McLaren in her second season of F1 Academy. All of this attention brings with it a lot of pressure – both on track and off. But for Bianca, it’s not some shiny distraction from racing, it’s essential for her to be on track to begin with and on a more elemental level, to simply make her way in the world.
“I would not be able to drive, you know, that is the bottom line without media and marketing and sponsorship. I can’t afford to race, I can’t even probably can’t even afford my flat, if I didn’t do any of those things. So it is such a fundamental thing.” – Bianca Bustamante
It’s easy to see how Bianca’s time in the spotlight could give the impression of a classic Hollywood esque lifestyle – and if she weren’t a racing driver, that could well be accurate. Instead, her social media savviness is one of Bianca’s biggest tools to cultivate her motorsport career. Success, financial and otherwise, in one arena provides her with further chances to succeed in the other.
Circular Economy of Motorsport
Bianca Bustamante is someone who has been able to successfully cultivate her social media presence and sustain it, even when her on-track results are not what she’d like them to be. Some critics say she should spend more time focused on improving on track but in 2025, it’s not that simple.
“But you know, I’ve always tried my best to be authentic, because it is such an incredible journey for women in motorsport right now. And I want to highlight that as much as possible and create amazing partnerships because of it. And that’s what I’ve been very fortunate to have this year.” – Bianca Bustamante
Today, there is such an emphasis on the importance of drivers keeping the media – in all its forms – constantly fed with a supply of new material. Not only that but every piece of it has to be unique, trendy and with universal appeal. Even those at the top of the food chain in Formula 1 can’t get away from this reality. Being visible and engaging with global audiences is seen as essential for brands and sponsors and if you’re a driver attempting to fund your very expensive racing career, you have to play that part of the game to ultimately get what you want. But Bianca is far from the only driver who gets criticised for playing this game.
The Modern Motorsport Norm
Over in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Toni Breidinger is another great example of someone breaking with tradition and forging a new path – but getting criticised for it. After finishing in P4 overall in the ARCA Menards Series last year, Toni moved up into the Truck Series in 2025. In her rookie season, she finished in P23 overall with a highest finish of P18. Naturally she’ll want to continue racing and improve on her results in 2026. But to do so, she’ll need to convince people that she’s worth investing time and money into. That’s where her 2.4 million Instagram followers come in handy, as do the 2.3 million that follow her on Tik Tok too.
That following, combined with being a model, having appeared in publications such as GQ and Sports Illustrated, means that people across the globe, in different walks of life, know who Toni is and helps to open doors for her that might otherwise remain locked. This in turn helps her get more of the resources she needs to ultimately keep racing and become a better driver. One feeds the other and ultimately, most brands and sponsors won’t care much about the on track results as long as Toni gives them what they agreed upon to help their own agenda. It’s the same with Bianca.
“And I think that’s what I’ve, you know, redirected my focus to, you know, it’s, you know, it’s prioritising what right now is important. And, you know, it’s planting those little seeds, you know, the things I focus now will pay off the next five years, 10 years, and, and, you know, prioritising those needs over my wants.” – Bianca Bustamante
It Happens in Formula 1 too
Another example is Carlos Sainz. He recently became a global ambassador with L’Oréal and yet you don’t see any, or at least nowhere near the same level of, criticism or questioning about why he’s not more focused on his on track performances. Perhaps it’s because he’s already in Formula 1 with several Grand Prix victories – but then why criticise those also attempting to make it to the top and emulating those that are there and what they’re doing to be able to stay there?
Striking a Balance
Deciding where to focus your energy is a massive decision in everybody’s lives. When that life is constantly on display for millions around the world to see, even the smallest move can be put under a microscope. That brings with it a thousand different opinions for and against it. Everything is heightened and attempting to keep everybody happy becomes even more of an impossibility. This pressure can not only impact on track abilities but also one’s overall mental wellbeing – something that is very much in the spotlight in 2025.
“You have to accept that you will go through some very tough moments. And, you know, sometimes pain will come with it and a few tears here and there. But it’s all part of it.” – Bianca Bustamante
Necessity also comes into the art of decision-making; all racing drivers would love to be able to spend as much time on the track as possible without having to focus on anything else. But in the age of social media, and with motorsport as expensive as it is, that’s simply not possible – unless you come from a very privileged background.
Striking a balance between on track and off track activities is virtually impossible – even if you’re at the top of the racing pyramid. Bianca herself admits that she struggles to find a balance in her life amongst all of this.
“I’m not very good at balancing, because I’m always kind of flat out in everything I do. And it’s actually, it’s great that we’re talking about this, because one of the things that you bring up all of this, all of this work that you’re doing, not only on the track, but off the track and in the gym.” – Bianca Bustamante
Thanks to F1 Academy footing the bill for the drivers competing in it each season, Bianca was able to have one less thing to worry about. But at the end of last season, her time in F1 Academy, which included seven podium appearances, two of which were victories, was over. A new challenge awaited in 2025: GB3.
GB3 Rookie Campaign
Making her GB3 debut with Elite Motorsport, Bianca contested in all 24 races of the 2025 GB3 campaign. She scored points in 17 of those 24 and out of the seven that she didn’t, two were because she DNFd and one was because of a DNS.
“I was scared when I, you know, first headed into my first race of the season, just because I didn’t know what to expect, you know, I’ve never really raced or competed at a level like that. And, and, wow, it honestly shocked me and stunned me at the same time with just how competitive everyone was, and how high the level was, and how much I needed to grow as a driver to make progress, and to be, you know, up there fighting, and competing, and challenging.” – Bianca Bustamante
It’s true that Bianca was the lowest finisher in the Championship out of all of the full time drivers but as is often the case in motorsport, the results don’t tell the full story. Adapting to a new Championship comes with a plethora of challenges, such as learning new tracks, fine tuning machinery to suit your driving style and overall racecraft, to name just a few. Time on track is also a vital component in being able to improve. With a limited amount of that before it’s time to go racing in GB3, momentum (positive or negative) can very easily snowball across a race weekend.
“I think the biggest challenge, to be honest, is, you know, we do have a scarce amount of track time in F1 Academy because we are racing alongside Formula 1… And that is, you know, the format, which is very counterintuitive if you’re a rookie driver trying to learn and progress because you need as much time as possible and as much laps, especially at an F4 level. ” – Bianca Bustamante
Proof of increased time on track leading to better performances came for Bianca in Silverstone. The opening three races of the 2025 season were held there. On that occasion, Bianca had a DNS, a P20 and a P19. When the series returned there just over three months later, Bianca’s results where P15, P17 and P18 with extra points awarded to her for positions gained in the latter, as per GB3 Championship rules. That’s a measurable improvement that shows progress in the right direction.
“You would want your drivers to be getting, you know…they need to be driving nearly every week to be able to compete in a level where the male drivers are, because that’s essentially what the F4 drivers in Italian F4, Euro Cup, Euro F4 and all these other championships are doing.” – Bianca Bustamante
Bianca Bustamante – Getting Up To Speed
Photo Credit: CBR Media
Despite the hurdles thrown at her by her inaugural campaign in GB3, Bianca isn’t downbeat about her year. Instead, the experience has made her feel more rounded as a driver.
“Yes, it’s been an interesting year to be honest. It’s very diverse in the sense of, you know, in the racing perspective I’ve had a chance to really level up this year in terms of physicality, driving techniques, having raced in the GB3 Championship in a mixed category, you know, it’s my first year racing against, you know, a grid of mixed drivers, both male and female. So, you know, the dexterity of that and the demands have definitely increased. So I honestly, coming out of, you know, finishing this year, I feel just so much more complete as a driver and just so much more experienced in general.” – Bianca Bustamante
As she reflects on the season too, Bianca is able to better prepare herself for next season. It’s not just the different aspects of driving and training off track that she can focus on either. Her fellow competitors and what to expect from them has been something that has caught her attention over the course of the season and given Bianca a cause to pause.
“…Drivers in GB3, they’re very, very aggressive, they’re very smart, also very calculated. And a lot of them are very, very experienced at this level. So I, you know, and as a driver competing alongside them, I actually learned a lot of things, you know, just as easy as defending and driving circuits where, like I said, you know, there’s very limited area for errors, there’s very limited margins. So you’re very close wheel to wheel. But at the same time, you have to take very calculated risks and calculated moves. So I think in that sense, that’s kind of like the main thing that I was focussing on this year, you know…but I think I just needed to be a little bit more aggressive.” – Bianca Bustamante
It’s also worth noting that Bianca’s performance is pretty common if you regularly watch the likes of Formula 2 and Formula 3; quite often drivers in their first season won’t leave a massive impression results wise, only to come back in their second or third season and take everyone by surprise. We’ve seen it with Felipe Drugovich’s Formula 2 title charge and with Nikola Tsolov in his three years competing in Formula 3. When there are drivers out there like Leonardo Fornaroli and Dennis Hauger, it can be easy to dismiss others that don’t perform immediately at the top level. But we shouldn’t – and it’s why fans of Bianca shouldn’t worry just yet.
Formula E Debut
GB3 wasn’t the only arena where Bianca got to turn a wheel in 2025 though. Signed as a development driver for Cupra Kiro in Formula E, Bianca got the chance to take the car out for multiple test sessions. The first of these came just after the team’s race weekend in Berlin. Her next opportunity then came at the Formula E Women’s test where she finished in P3 in the afternoon session and P6 overall once the dust settled.
“I had the amazing, lovely, lovely chance of, yeah, getting behind the wheel
again in Valencia, Spain, which honestly, I’m not gonna lie, it’s probably the toughest it’s ever felt physically…You know, but all in all, my most memorable drive this season, just because I was able to really dig deep and put that lap together, you know…because it is, you know, a very engineering driven championship in the sense of, you know, the car, it’s very technical.” – Bianca Bustamante
This honest assessment of what the Formula E test felt like for Bianca, paired with her GB3 campaign demonstrates that when the going gets tough, it only strengthens her resolve – it doesn’t break it. The good comes with the bad, or in this case, the difficult – and that’s evident with the lap time that Bianca was able to produce and how happy she was with it, in light of the challenges she had to overcome to achieve it.
Bianca Bustamante – What’s Next?
Being a professional racing driver is tough. So when people see the spread of Bianca Bustamante’s activities outside of racing, many ask, for example, does she want to be a racing driver or a model? But why can’t she be both? It’s not uncommon in 2025 for people to have more than one job or more than one passion and rarely do we see people attempting to limit them to just one. So what’s different here?
Moreover, the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Zhou Guanyu and Jenson Button have all also both been racing drivers and models at the same time. So have and are the aforementioned Toni Breidinger and Carlos Sainz. It can be done. It has been done. For Bianca though, the primary objective for everything is clear – motorsport.
“…For me, I want to be able to compete in the same level again next year and in the, you know, Euro F3 or in the GB3 and in that level, because I know that that’s the only way for me to keep progressing in the sport, in the single seater route. And this time round, you know, as a better driver, as a stronger, older, quicker, more competitive driver. You know, as I’ve finished my rookie season, I’ve got more experience in my pocket and more tools in my toolbox. So, yeah, I want to be able to compete at it again and have a go and continue developing and absolutely go for it, as I’ve always done.” – Bianca Bustamante
Rewriting the Playbook
At the end of the day, there’s no one way or approved guideline for how to get into motorsport, stay there and be successful. What matters most for Bianca to succeed is to remain focused on her endgame and work hard and work smart until she achieves that. Part of that is using her strengths to her advantage, such as her social media savviness and her modelling career. Who says that she can’t achieve success in motorsport while also being successful in other areas too? No method is perfect and there isn’t a set playbook for this. But such high visibility of the sort that Bianca has already attained brings with it invaluable opportunities, particularly in a world hyper-focused on what is consumed, when and by whom and that is also constantly changing.
So regardless of if Bianca goes on to race in Formula 3 and then to become the first female Formula 1 Champion or if she vanishes from the racing scene next year to focus on other passions, why shouldn’t she get to do it her way?
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F1 Academy returns in 2026 and GB3 returns April 25th 2026 at Silverstone.
Feature Image: CBR Media