Few rounds after her first series win in Spain, Filipina racing driver Bianca Bustamante clinched second F1 Academy win in her team, PREMA Racing’s home race at Autodromo Nazionale Monza.
The 18-year-old racing driver performed a stellar round in Italy despite setbacks experienced in the first race of the weekend. Bustamante bounced back in Race 2 with a podium finish in second place. Highlight of Bustamante’s weekend is her Race 3 win. The Pinay racer showcased strong performance throughout the weekend with notable daring overtakes making it one of the best race weekends of her career.
Thanks to Bustamante’s matured and calculated drive in the final two races of the Monza F1 Academy round, the Filipina racer has now moved up to P6 in the Driver Standings. With just a few rounds left on the series calendar, this puts Bianca to just 45 points behind her top-3 overall championship finish.
Practice and Qualifying
Bustamante’s weekend started well as she arrived at Monza high on confidence and eager to get going at her favourite Grand Prix race track. The #16 PREMA Racing Tatuus F4 car was looking strong right from the get-go which was evidenced by Bustamante and her teammate’s dominance in the 2 free practice sessions. The first part of Qualifying was challenging as a downpour overnight made it difficult to extract the most on a semi-damp surface, leaving the Filipina with a time only good enough for P9. She was determined to make amends in Qualifying 2 as the track dried up, allowing her to set a spectacular lap and get on the front row with P2 for Race 3, 0.168 seconds away from Pole Position.
Race 1
Starting ninth amongst 14 other cars in Race 1, Bustamante got off the line, however, her race ended even before taking a single corner when she was hit in dramatic fashion as a car rolled over her car. Fortunately, Bustamante was unharmed, but she was forced to immediately retire the car. However, her spirits were still high and she was more determined than ever to put in a heroic performance in Race 2, which is exactly what she delivered.
Race 2
Starting from P9 once again, this time Bustamante was able to get away cleanly and settle into a rhythm around the 5.79 km circuit. She showed patience and managed to hold off the attacks from a chasing competitor in the early part of the race. From there Bustamante displayed exceptional skill to make calculated overtakes lap after lap after, picking off the cars one at a time, with a flurry of passes, notably 2 bold overtakes around the outside at Parabolica, the daunting final corner of the track. Eventually, she was on the gearbox of the leading car and even made the pass for the lead, however, had to concede position after running wide on the chicane and settle for P2 as the checkered flag dropped.
Race 3
Following a strong start, Bianca Bustamante held position and remained right behind the leading car, being patient and sizing up the move for the lead in the first half of the race. The teenager showed maturity in her driving to vie for the lead by putting down her attacks strategically. Eventually, Bustamante set Pulling up for a move in the first chicane, getting a better exit and manoeuvred a brave overtake on the outside of Turn 3, Curva Grande, finally making it stick by taking the inside line into the Ascari chicane. She showed superior speed and pulled a gap to the chasing pack before a Safety Car was brought out due to an incident. The Filipina even executed a perfect restart to open up a gap once again before the race was neutralized again by a second Safety Car. The race ultimately ended under Yellow Flag conditions, which handed Bustamante her second win of the season and her first Feature Race win along with 25 points.
“PREMA gave me a great car I think we were able to show the pace we had this weekend. I’m really really happy with the result and hearing the Philippines National Anthem made it all the more special. Furthermore, the Italian fans cheering us on at our team’s home race made it so amazing!” said Bianca Bustamante.
It was a dream come true for Bustamante who has always yearned to race at Monza. Additionally, taking a win with an Italian team in front of the home fans made this fairytale weekend all the more special. The victory was celebrated with the Philippines’ National Anthem, Lupang Hinirang and an emotional Bustamante on the top step of the podium, who took 33 points from the weekend. This points haul has moved her up 2 spots, to P6 on the standings and is looking to challenge for the top-3 with 2 rounds to go in the series.
