Strong pre-season test performance boosts Bustamante’s confidence for 2024 F1 Academy campaign

MANILA: Bianca Bustamante expressed her confidence for the upcoming 2024 F1 Academy season, which according to the 18-year-old Laguna, Philippines native, is due to her strong performance in the pre-season testing with McLaren and ART Grand Prix.

“We were fast as Jeddah. We topped a few sessions and overall, we were so, so strong, and the fact that we’re coming into the race week knowing that we were strong in the pre-season test and the fact that I was able to work with my team and McLaren and just feel so at home without even trying so hard,” Bustamante said during a virtual round table presser.

“We were able to get good results and I think that’s what matters,” she added.

On top of the pre-season testing at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and also at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Bustamante competed in three out of four rounds of the Formula Winter Series in Spain during the off-season to provide her with the preparation needed for a strong start to her upcoming campaign.

Bustamante will be behind the wheel of papaya-colored Tatuus F4-T421, which she will field in Jeddah this weekend.

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit — for those who do not know — is the second-longest and one of the fastest circuits on the 2024 calendar. This means that the “Dark Horse” will have to demonstrate exceptional precision and bravery on the iconic street circuit in “The Mermaid of the Red Sea.”

“It’s my favorite circuit. I mean, I love fast circuits. I love the fact that you’re just so close to the wall. You’re so close to the limit. You’re just sending the car and you’re just correcting so little and those minor corrections can either send you to a very good lap or into the wall. And I think the fact that you’re playing with those limits, I just love that feeling,” commented Bustamante.

“And I think that was the main reason why I was so quick at Monza. And the fact that I feel that type of energy, that type of emotion when I drive a Jeddah, I think it’s very positive,” she explained.

Bustamante’s brimming confidence is not only due to good pre-season test results. Per the first Filipina and female McLaren race driver, the team supporting her provides her not just mental and physical support but also ensures that she has all the right tools to fight at the front of the pack.

“We’ve got a really, really good car,” Bustamante noted.

“ART has been working amazingly just to make sure that the car is suited to my driving style and they’re very passionate people and they want it as bad as I do. So that just gives me confidence and I’ll be racing with F1 this weekend,” she stated.

“I’ll have my family with me, you know, McLaren, the Papaya family, and they’re so excited for me to get there, really. And I can’t wait. I mean, to be racing in front of my team, in front of my family, to be racing in front of also Zach, our boss. There’s a lot of pressure, but at the same time when we do well, I know that they’re gonna be really proud and I mean, honestly, for now, I just can’t wait. I can’t wait to get in the car,” added Bustamante.

Catch Bustamante in the first race of the 2024 F1 Academy season, which will take place at the 6.174-kilometer Jeddah Corniche Circuit this weekend.

Photos from Bianca Bustamante’s Instagram page

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