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F1 Academy: Bianca Bustamante gets podium in inaugural all-female race

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Nina Angela Mikaela Cruz, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="racerbia IG" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/04/29/20230429-via-racerbia-ig.jpg"/></figure></div>(UPDATED) Filipina race car driver Bianca Bustamante had an impressive P2 podium finish in the inaugural F1 Academy race in Spielberg, Austria on Saturday. Bustamante initially finished P3, but was promoted to P2 following Campos Racing’s Nerea Martí’s post-race disqualification after it was found that her car was not in compliance with the technical regulations. Bustamante secured 18 points in Race 1, finishing behind PREMA Racing teammate Marta García on P1 who had 25 points. She started on the first row after notching P2 in the first qualifying round at the iconic Red Bull Ring. Different from the Formula 1 race weekend format, the all-female series will have three races per round. Bustamante in Race 2 was on P7 in the starting grid and finished 9th place. She was out in Race 3 due to a technical issue. Formula 1 Academy’s Round 2 will be in Valencia, Spain on May 5-7. Bustamante was signed with the Italian team following her impressive play in the W Series in 2022 where she became the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to secure a seat. She is also the only Filipino participating in the inaugural F1 Academy season, which was created to hone young female drivers to advance to higher levels of the competition including W Series, Formula 1, Formula 2, and Formula 3.The 18-year-old driver also sent the Filipino motorsport fans abuzz online recently when she received praises from Formula 1 Alpine driver Esteban Ocon about her work ethics. &quot;I trained with a young girl named Bianca who was at my training centre. She was the first to arrive and the last to depart, it was a crazy thing,” Ocon said in French in an interview that went viral.“...She had a gift right away, she understands how things should be done. She was super strong, super talented right away. While I have been doing this for years, I was doing the same exercises. She immediately managed to impress me,” he said.

Filipina race car driver Bianca Bustamante had an impressive P2 podium finish in the inaugural F1 Academy race in Spielberg, Austria on Saturday. 

F1 Academy: Bianca Bustamante gets podium in inaugural all-female race

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F1 Academy: Bianca Bustamante gets podium in inaugural all-female race

Nina Angela Mikaela Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 29, 2023 11:28 PM PHT

|

Updated April 30, 2023 01:08 AM PHT

Read More:

Formula 1

F1

F1 Academy

Bianca Bustamante

PREMA Racing

female racing

motorsport

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