“I aspire to be one of many. I want there to be a group of women in the sport that can compete alongside men equally in the same machinery, on the same platform.”
Mula pagkabata, naramdaman na agad ni Bianca ang “need for speed.” Ibinandera niya ang bilis at gilas ng mga Pilipino sa buong mundo as she made history bilang first female driver ng sikat na racing team na McLaren sa kanilang Driver Development Programme noong 2023. At ngayon, Bianca is set for her 2025 GB3 Championship debut, driving for UK-based Elite Motorsport!
What does it take para maging mahusay na race car driver? Paano nagagamit ni Bianca ang kanyang pagka-Pinay sa race track? Is she really “living the dream”?
Get ready for a conversation filled with adrenaline, inspiration, and unstoppable girl power. Power Talks with Pia Arcangel takes a closer look at Bianca’s trailblazing career as she drives her way into being the first female Formula 1 driver of her era.
Mula pagkabata, naramdaman na agad ni Bianca ang “need for speed.” Ibinandera niya ang bilis at gilas ng mga Pilipino sa buong mundo as she made history bilang first female driver ng sikat na racing team na McLaren sa kanilang Driver Development Programme noong 2023. At ngayon, Bianca is set for her 2025 GB3 Championship debut, driving for UK-based Elite Motorsport!
What does it take para maging mahusay na race car driver? Paano nagagamit ni Bianca ang kanyang pagka-Pinay sa race track? Is she really “living the dream”?
Get ready for a conversation filled with adrenaline, inspiration, and unstoppable girl power. Power Talks with Pia Arcangel takes a closer look at Bianca’s trailblazing career as she drives her way into being the first female Formula 1 driver of her era.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hi everyone, get ready for a conversation filled with adrenaline, inspiration, and a whole lot of
00:05girl power. This is Power Talks and we're about to hit the gas with Bianca Bustamante.
00:12When someone tells you you can't do that, then do everything you can in your power
00:16to be able to do that. Not just to prove them wrong, but to prove yourself right.
00:21The reality is very distorted because of social media. That's why it's so important to always be
00:26original and to embrace your individualities, embrace your flaws, what makes you different.
00:33I've had to grow for my sport. I just couldn't afford to be immature. I couldn't waste time,
00:38I couldn't waste opportunities. Every single time there was an opportunity, I went for it.
00:43And I think that's the type of community and that type of support you don't get anywhere else in
00:48the world. You don't get in other cultures. And that's why I've always been proud of being
00:51Filipino. It's my heritage. I felt like that was my greatest asset, being Filipino, because I know
00:58that Filipinos are the backbone of every community, in medicine, in engineering, in every country.
01:04You're a trailblazer, actually, for Filipino athletes in motorsport. You're not just the first,
01:10but for us, first female, first Filipino. That's such a big deal for all of us.
01:14But in my head, I just kept thinking, being first is always amazing. It's great.
01:19But I aspire to be one of many. And I want to be a group of women in the sport that can compete
01:27alongside men equally, in the same machinery, in the same platform. I knew that it was my calling.
01:33I knew that it was my passion. It was a distant reality. It was a dream. That's why I always tell
01:39people that I'm really living my dream. And I just feel this spark within me, and I'm
01:44so ready to just go faster each time. And I think there's a quote that says that,
01:50you know, do something that scares you every day.
01:53And I think that's currently what I'm doing. And it makes me feel so alive.
02:02Hi, Bianca, and welcome to the show.
02:04Hi, Khea. Thank you so much for having me here.
02:07Well, thank you for squeezing us in. I know you have a very busy schedule, especially given
02:14all the things that you've been doing right now. Do you mind taking us through all that's
02:20been going on with you right now? Just very briefly, so we have an idea.
02:25Briefly is a bit difficult to say, but it's been a tough year for us. Just a lot of racing. For
02:35the viewers that may not know who I am, I'm Bianca Bustamante. I'm a Filipino racing driver
02:40that competed in the F1 Academy the past two years, and I'm a McLaren development driver.
02:47And I'm currently based in London competing and trying to make it up the ranks in Formula 1.
02:52Wow. And we know that you really are going up the ladder. You're climbing up the ladder,
02:58climbing up those ranks. I saw the press release for your accomplishments, but it's a little
03:06difficult for somebody who doesn't follow F1 that closely to try and picture everything together.
03:14So can you tell us how important your finish in Dubai was?
03:17In Abu Dhabi. So yeah, we wrapped up the season in Abu Dhabi. Obviously,
03:22being Simon McLaren and racing alongside Formula 1, it's been really tough adapting,
03:27especially it's a sport that's not really famous in the Philippines. So I think being a homegrown
03:34talent, I've actually had to relearn a lot of things, fundamentals and techniques and driving
03:40that, you know, obviously I'm very grateful now that I've had the opportunity to be part of the
03:44McLaren development program. So being based in the UK in the McLaren Technology Centre,
03:50you know, I've had an amazing chance working with great engineers in the sport and obviously
03:55having, you know, teammates like Lefando and Oscar learning from them. It's been an amazing
04:00opportunity, especially as a developing driver. And we've wrapped up our season in F1 Academy.
04:06I will be moving up to the GT3 category, which is a step higher than what I was competing. So
04:11it's similar to an F3 car. So it goes about in speeds of like 280 kilometres per hour.
04:18So it's a lot faster than what I've been driving. We wrapped up the season in a high in Abu Dhabi,
04:24that was the last race of the year. Qualified P4 and finished P5. It was our highest finishing
04:32position. So really, really good things to cap off the year. Well, that is absolutely great news
04:38because that means that there will be a lot to look forward to, you know, this 2025 from Bianca
04:45Bustamante. I'm curious, though, how you got into this career. I mean, it's not something, well,
04:51first of all, as you mentioned, it's not something very popular in the Philippines,
04:55not as popular as it is in other countries. And it's not something a lot of little girls
05:00would think of getting into because from what I've read, you started at the age of five.
05:05Yes. So I was very fortunate. My parents were, you know, a very working middle class family.
05:13My dad's an OFW in America. So your dad is still in the US?
05:17Yeah, he still works in America.
05:22Oh, OK. So when you were a kid, he was already there.
05:26I didn't really. I grew up with my dad, but he wasn't always around, which is just the life of
05:32an OFW. And I get to see him Christmas. Maybe he'd come home for one or two races
05:40whenever I'd have a good race. He'd maybe try to come for a few days and all that
05:45because we know how expensive the plane tickets are as well. So my dad's 65 and he's still working
05:52three jobs. He's still very, very hard working. I think one of the greatest things I was given
05:58might not have been wealth, but it was actually the passion and love that my parents had for the
06:02sport. Like my dad was an avid racing fan. You know, every month he'd send money and
06:08would pour it all in racing as much as he could. Growing up, you know, he
06:12tried to give me the best of everything in the world. He was my pillar in my career. He
06:18dedicated all of his earnings, all the savings, just so I could start in motorsport at the age
06:24of five. I actually started driving at the age of three. So I think having that initial platform
06:30from my parents is the main reason why I am where I am. And learning from them and having
06:37their encouragement through in and outs, you know, obviously motorsport or in any sport,
06:41you can't always win. So in those times where I felt like giving up or quitting, my parents would
06:48always make me realize that, you know, it's my dreams, but it's not just mine, but it's also
06:53theirs. So my dad's kind of living his dreams through me. So that's kind of how it all started.
07:00So if you started driving at the age of three, that means you were carting. You were driving a
07:06go-kart at the age of three. And you don't remember feeling any sense of fear at any point?
07:13When you're experiencing a sport where it's so filled with adrenaline, like I think,
07:19I mean, motorsports, one of the sports in the world where there's actually very, very high risk
07:24of, you know, crashing or getting injured. And obviously it's a sport that's very male-dominated,
07:30that there's this current stigma that, you know, most females veer away from this career path
07:37because of how dangerous it can be. And I think that honestly, what excited me the most,
07:43the risk factor, the fact that everything that I do is something that makes me feel alive. You
07:48know, every single day I get to my office, which is like the track in the car. And yeah, my office,
07:55and I just feel this spark within me and I'm so ready to just go faster each time. And I think,
08:02you know, there's a quote that says that, you know, do something that scares you every day.
08:06And I think that's currently what I'm doing. And it makes me feel so alive. So I don't think I ever
08:12was afraid of racing, of crashing. But I, you know, obviously my parents, they were very
08:18protective of me because I'm the only girl in the family as well. So my mom was always
08:24scared of me getting injured or crashing. But apart from that, it was all, yeah, it was all
08:29motivation from them. Well, it's great to see that, you know, you still have that same amount
08:34of passion, perhaps even more, for a sport that you've been doing since you were three years old.
08:40And I'm wondering though, so where were you when you first tried a go-kart at the age of three?
08:45Were you here in Manila or were you abroad? Yes, homegrown talent. I karted pretty much,
08:52you know, in Philippines, in Asia, my whole life. Only recently, I actually moved to Europe
08:58two years ago when I had to compete in the F1 Academy. But yeah, the very first track where I
09:05drove out was in one racing circuit. So I live in Laguna, that was about 30 minutes away from
09:13my house. So every day I'd beg my mom and dad, you know, I was this little girl, I was very chubby,
09:18and I'd beg them to like, please let me go drive a go-kart. And they'd always tell me that
09:25for you to take racing seriously, you need to be very dedicated because it's not a sport where
09:29we can afford to just take it as for fun, as a hobby. We weren't, you know, obviously gifted
09:35like that with wealth. So I'd always had to take it seriously since the very beginning. Like my
09:41parents wanted to see dedication, they wanted to see determination just from the back. Like
09:46I remember my dad told me that, you know, to be an athlete, you need to be, you know, it's not
09:51just driving. I think that's also a misconception that people have in motorsport, that it's just
09:55driving. But actually, it's one of the most intense physical sports in the world. You're
10:02going through speeds of 200 kilometers per hour, and your body's withstanding G force, lateral G
10:10force, acceleration, deceleration. And obviously, there's a physicality and mental aspect of it as
10:15well. So I was this young girl, I was really short, I'm still short, but I was really chubby.
10:22And my dad told me that you're racing against boys, you're a male-dominated sport,
10:26you need to be a professional athlete, you need to be training, you need to eat well, you need to
10:31train your body, treat your body like a temple. So that's why my dad, you know, put me in the gym
10:36age of seven. I was training, working out at the age of seven. You know, I really took the sport
10:40seriously from the very beginning, because my parents, you know, showed me that mentality, and
10:46they made me realize the value of hard work. And you were able to balance all this, you know,
10:52training for your sport with school, because I read that you studied at UST Angelicum, is that
10:58correct? Yes, I studied UST Angelicum, and I took STEM. So I knew that I found a passion early on.
11:07I just knew that it was going to be, it was always going to be motorsport, you know, maybe
11:11not as a driver, because in all honesty, I did not believe, I did not expect that I would
11:19actually make it this far into the sport. I knew that it was my calling, I knew that it was my passion,
11:24but to be a racing driver, competing and traveling all over the world, going to places, you know,
11:30that I could never even imagine, it was a distant reality. It was, you know, a dream.
11:37That's why I always tell people that I'm really living my dream, because we all know how expensive
11:43racing can be, and that it's often seen as a privileged sport, but it's, you know, made for people
11:50with money, and it is, and we've seen the sport be that way. But with the help of people and the team
11:57behind me, you know, I was able to compete through money of sponsorship, marketing, and endorsement
12:04deals, and, you know, I've been financially independent since I was 16. So kind of, you know,
12:11living through all of that, and having to manage, you know, obviously my career and academics,
12:17it's tough, because, you know, one, driving is one thing, but having to do all the work behind the
12:23scenes that most people don't often see, like the long hours, the interviews, the events, and
12:30the social media, all of it is what contributes to being able to afford to race, because it is
12:37expensive. But at a young age, I've known that I was never fortunate enough to say no, like, you know,
12:45I wasn't privileged to say no. I knew that I had to do the interviews, I know that I had to do
12:51whatever it takes to make it, whatever it takes to be able to race. And having that mentality, that
12:57mindset of being able to, you know, be there and deliver and value hard work and, you know, and
13:04have that mental fortitude to balance all those things at the same time is, you know, it's something
13:10that I've learned because I'm Filipino. I felt like that was my greatest asset, being Filipino,
13:15because I know that Filipinos are the backbone of every community, in medicine, in engineering,
13:21in every country. There's always Filipinos out there, you know, putting in the hours, working
13:26hard and doing the jobs that no other people would like to do. That's why I've always been proud that,
13:32you know, I've worked very hard. And I think that's one of the main ingredients of making it.
13:38And now we see you doing all that hard work in the world of F1, and you're the first
13:45Filipina to do that. So thank you for doing that for us, for, you know, planting the Philippine
13:50flag right there in the circuit, in the track, and you're doing all that for us. You mentioned
13:55how difficult it is, that it's a very difficult sport. And you're right, because most people think,
13:59you know, you just get into the seat and drive a car, go as fast as you can. But I saw some of
14:05your videos, your training videos, like you have to strap something onto your head and you try to
14:10strengthen your neck. Is it because of the speed? Yes. Oh, okay. So how does it work when that thing
14:15is strapped on you? You're trying to resist? Racing is one of the toughest sports in the world,
14:20purely because you use muscle groups that you don't normally train, especially, you know,
14:26in the gym. Yes, you train your upper body, your lower body, your back, your core,
14:31but you always have this, like, external muscles group that you don't actually train,
14:36like, for example, your neck, your forearm, your fingers, your foot, all of those things that you
14:42need in racing, because it's all coordination. Like, the minute you're steering, you're braking,
14:48you're throttling, you're fighting the g-force as well, the deceleration, acceleration, like,
14:54we go from 0 to 100 in 3.5 seconds. So, you know, that's quite fast.
15:02So, you know, actual training, it allows you to enhance your performance on track,
15:07but most importantly, it avoids you getting injured, it avoids injury, and that's why we do
15:13the trainings that we do. Like, for example, I have a headpiece, a harness that I put on my head,
15:19and normally it either has weights or someone's pulling it, and I have to resist, so I'm able to,
15:27like, train my muscles. So, for example, my neck, my neck's really big, and it helps me,
15:35obviously, when you're driving and you're turning, you have to fight the g-force, and when your neck
15:42gives out, you can't hold your head. So, that means your vision gets distorted, or your peripheral
15:48and your focus and your mental, you know, all of it is connected, and you need to have the strength
15:53and the endurance and the muscle endurance to withstand a race, because, you know, racing is
15:58one of the sports where you can't have a rest. Like, the minute you drive, you're pushing flat out
16:05for the next 30, 40 minutes, you know, it's not like basketball, where you can walk,
16:09or, you know, you can run and you can walk, or you can, you know, have a pause when you're
16:14tired, but with racing, it's a continuous motion, you know, the minute you get in the car,
16:19you drive, you do your racing, you do your laps, you know, you're always, always moving,
16:23you're always constantly using your muscle groups, whether it's physical, mental, you're making
16:31decisions in a span of seconds, you know, that can be very detrimental to the race,
16:36and obviously detrimental to where you, how you perform. So, it's also, it's also a very mental
16:42sport, because, you know, when you're going at speeds of like 280 kilometers per hour,
16:47you have, need to have, you know, laser focus on the car in front of you, the car behind you,
16:52you have to take care of your tires, because there's tire degradation, you need to take care
16:56of your car, you know, you have to look into the dash and make sure that, you know, the car is
17:01running as it should, or sometimes the engineer is talking to you on the radio, because you also have
17:06an earpiece where you can communicate with your engineer and talk about strategies, the plans,
17:11you know, you also have pit stops, so it's a lot of different elements. So, it's very easy to kind
17:17of see, you know, one perspective, or it's just a driver in the car, but actually, it's a group
17:22of people behind you that contributes to a whole race, you know, there's engineers, mechanics,
17:28strategists, so it's a very intricate sport. Wow, and the way you describe it, it's like so
17:34many different things going on at the same time, so it really requires, you know, a certain amount
17:40of multitasking and great focus for you to be able to execute everything properly. You mentioned
17:47also earlier that you needed a lot of sponsors, a lot of marketing, getting into the sport,
17:52and I noticed when you wore your helmet in one of your videos that you have a makeup brand on
17:57your helmet, and I love that it's such a female brand supporting you, right? And in what you
18:04described yourself as a male-dominated sport, was it difficult to get them on board?
18:09It wasn't difficult, but it was unusual. I think it was very unusual, not just to,
18:16you know, the makeup brands, but also to the world of motorsport. I think, you know, women in the
18:22sport are, you know, it's a growing idea, and it's still, it's like I said, the sport is
18:28continuously evolving, it's becoming more and more inclusive, you know, we have male and female
18:33allies that makes the sport a better place for everyone, and I think the biggest step is having,
18:40you know, a company like that support women in the sport, in sport racing, where years ago and
18:47decades ago, there were barely even women drivers, let alone sponsors, so I think it was a big shock,
18:55but it was a change that needed to happen, not just in the sport, but it was a change that needed
19:00to happen, and needed to be seen in the world, that, you know, there's changes every day, and it
19:06doesn't mean that it's what we're used to, what we've grown up seeing, doesn't mean that
19:11that's what it has to stay, it doesn't mean that it has to stay like that for the coming years, and
19:17it's those little things that makes a huge difference, because there's little girls and boys
19:22that can look up to that, and all of a sudden their perspective changes, especially in the sport, you
19:27know, a little girl came up to me and she said that I was her favorite, and to me that melted my heart,
19:34because, you know, as a girl who loves makeup, loves being feminine, and I love showing my feminine
19:41side, and I love that I get to just have best of both worlds, you know, I get to have my passion,
19:47my first love, and I get to have, you know, my creative outlet, which is fashion and makeup,
19:53and both of them go hand in hand, and I kind of have this nice equilibrium where
19:57they both, you know, contribute to make me a better athlete, so it's very cool.
20:05It's so great to see how you're able to combine all these, put them all together, and, you know,
20:09like you said, inspire young people to do exactly what you're doing, and, you know, to know that
20:16they can make waves wherever they choose to go. And speaking of making waves, joining the
20:22McLaren Driver Program, that is a huge thing. Can you explain to us how you get into that,
20:29and what it actually means? What kind of impact does it have on your career?
20:34Honestly, when they first initially told me that I was going to be the first female
20:38development driver in McLaren, it, I was honestly, it took me afar, like it took me back quite a bit,
20:44because it's, you know, McLaren's a huge company that's been in motorsport, has been one of the
20:50pioneers in motorsport, and it's only now that they have a female driver under their helm, and I
20:57think, you know, for me, obviously, being the very first one, it means everything to me. It's my,
21:04it's every, it's why I do what I do. It's all, it's why I made all these sacrifices. It's why my
21:09parents, you know, took all those risks just so I could be here today. But in my head, I just kept
21:16thinking, you know, being first is always amazing, it's great, but I aspire to be one of many, and,
21:22you know, I want to be a group of women in the sport that can compete alongside men equally in
21:29the same, in the same machinery, in the same platform, and in, you know, to have a team like
21:35McLaren believe in that, believe that men and women can compete equally in the sport, and that they
21:40have a female athlete, driver, in their program, means the whole world. It's been an incredible
21:49journey, of course, like working in and out of McLaren, the long days and long hours in the sim,
21:57all the debriefs, the conversations, the meetings.
22:00And it also means a lot to all your supporters and all your fans to see how far you've gone.
22:06And plus, you know, the fact that we've been mentioning this, that you're like the, you're a
22:11trailblazer, actually, for Filipino athletes in motorsport. You're not just the first, but I mean,
22:17of course, it's a big deal that you're the first female driver in McLaren, but for us, you know,
22:22first female, first Filipino, that's such a big deal for all of us. How do you think, you know,
22:28your heritage has helped you in this particular sport or in this career? I mean, earlier, you said
22:35that, you know, you get the trait of being a hardworking person, that's mostly a Filipino
22:40thing for you. But what else is it about the Philippines that you take with you into the track?
22:49I think it's, you know, it's being part of the Filipino community. It's incredible. Like,
22:55there's Filipinos everywhere around the world. And those group of Filipinos will rally behind you.
23:01They will persevere, they will support you on social media, in person, they're there with you.
23:08And I think that's the type of community and that type of support you don't get anywhere else in
23:13the world. You don't get in other cultures. And that's why I've always been proud of being
23:18Filipino. Like, it's my heritage. I've grown up in Laguna my whole life, and I've always been proud
23:24of it. And I've always been proud of raising the flag. And one of the main things that inspire me
23:30is the fact that I know, hopefully, in the future, I will, as I've heard it, I can be played because
23:37of me in the world of motorsport is one of the main things that inspire me. And it's always going
23:44to be my Everest, I hope to represent the country well, and, you know, to put name and to put pride
23:52in the Philippines.
23:54And you said you grew up in Laguna. How old were you when you left the country,
23:59you know, to pursue your career?
24:02I left the country when I was 16. I studied in the Philippines. I was homeschooled.
24:10All my friends are in the Philippines. But yeah, I'm from Laguna, and that's pretty much
24:17where I grew up my whole life.
24:19You mentioned earlier that you've been financially independent since you were 16.
24:23So that in itself is, you know, an amazing feat, not a lot. I'm sure you can just count how many
24:28people are actually financially independent by the age of 16. So I imagine the sense of maturity
24:34that you have developed is also, you know, far greater than that of most people your age.
24:39Yes. I've had to grow for my sport. Like I said, I just couldn't afford to be immature,
24:47you know, I couldn't waste time, I couldn't waste opportunities.
24:50Every single time there was an opportunity, I went for it. Every single time, you know,
24:55they asked me to, you know, to enhance my skills off track, like, you know,
25:01being able to speak proper English. I taught myself how to speak proper English and
25:05to be able to communicate.
25:07I'm curious what you mean by teaching yourself proper English. I mean,
25:11I'm sure you already were speaking English by the time you left.
25:16What is proper English?
25:17Like, Tagalog is the first language I learned. So my mom and dad spoke Tagalog. So at home,
25:28we didn't speak English. And like, my mom is from Pampanga and my dad is from Pangasinense.
25:36And both of them, they didn't have the opportunity to learn, you know, like, proper English with
25:45sentences and grammars. And because I was in a sport that was so global, like, you know,
25:53if you want to be in Formula One, you know, it's just a global sport.
25:57And the universal language is English. So being able to communicate is so important.
26:01Being able to express yourself through words is very important.
26:05So I think that's the first lesson I learned from my manager, that I need to learn to deliver,
26:15what I really feel and what I really think, and not have any confusion in between,
26:21especially in a sport like racing. When you talk to engineers, graduate from Oxford or Stanford,
26:28and you kind of have to raise yourself up because the sport is just that critical. It's that,
26:35so meticulous. And one of the toughest things I had to learn was English because, you know,
26:42especially when you go to like UK, where the words they use are different.
26:47They have different words for different things that we don't use in Asia, or that aren't taught
26:52in Asia. So it was very difficult for me to adjust Sauna. And when I was doing interviews,
27:00I could remember my very first interview, I was so nervous, I couldn't deliver what I wanted to
27:06say. And I was stuttering out, you know, like, I couldn't say what I wanted to say. And I remember
27:13being 16 at that time, and I didn't have the confidence that I have now. And you know,
27:18the words, my grammar, and all those things. And, and I think one of the biggest growth I've had,
27:25that I've had to experience is, you know, learning through my failures.
27:28Where are you based now?
27:29I'm based in UK, I live in Wimbledon.
27:32Ah, okay, that's so cool. And so your daily training is in London?
27:40Yes, in London. Yeah, sometimes I just go to a local gym.
27:45But most of the times I am racing, so I'm also barely home.
27:49With everything that keeps you busy with your career, how do you balance everything
27:54out with your personal life? I mean, what do you do when you're not on the track?
27:58When I'm not in the track, I tend to be a creative, I am a creative. I mean, apart from
28:04racing is probably one of the main things I love about myself is the fact that I get to explore
28:09my different sides. Like, as much as I love fashion, I'm also very much into architecture.
28:14I love drawing, painting. I really, really wanted to take architecture in uni.
28:22But life had other plans for me.
28:24God wanted me to be a racing driver. So it's still something that I practice till now.
28:29I sketch, I draw. I'm also very much into photography. I have a camera, so I take photos.
28:37I love editing. I love cinematography as well. So, you know, all these creative things allows
28:44me to actually perform on track. I always say, you know, doing one thing is a rest from another.
28:51So whenever I feel the stress, the pressure, I kind of just try to switch off by switching into
28:58a different element, you know, where I'm free, where it's just creating beautiful things.
29:05And it's not, you know, the high intense sport like racing. So switching and learning how to
29:11switch from one thing to another is also very important because as much as I work very hard
29:17and I push very hard, it's also very important to know when to take a break and when to take a step
29:21back. And I think, yeah, it's one of the greatest assets to have is actually learning when to
29:28switch off.
29:29But Bianca, what are your plans for this year?
29:37Yeah, so the season will start very, very soon for me in the GB3 Championship.
29:45We signed with Elite Motorsport. We have a lot of things lined up, all the projects that we've
29:52been curating for the past few months. And I can't believe it's come to life, to be honest.
29:57But yeah, a lot of cool things on and off the track as always.
30:02And, you know, when you look ahead, like what do you see yourself or where do you see yourself in
30:08the world of motorsports in like five years?
30:11That's a very tough question because I try to obviously envision a future, but racing is so
30:20unpredictable. You don't know who you're going to race for. You don't know where you're going to be
30:24in the next few months even. And I think that's what makes the sport amazing. It's so unique.
30:32You know, you can be anywhere racing for any team in any country, in any part of the world.
30:38And I think, you know, obviously I hope to make it to Formula 1. That will forever be my Everest.
30:45I'm in pursuit of making it to Formula 1, obviously making it up to the ladder, being now in
30:53an F3 car in the British GB3 Championship. It's a step closer to where I want to be.
31:01But a few years down the line, I hope that I will get to test a Formula 1 car in due course time.
31:10But yeah, that's the goal. How do you go from F3 to F1?
31:16Well, you have to go through a series of other championships, higher championships. Like I'm
31:23currently in GB3, so that's the British F3. And then you go to the FIFD, which is the World
31:28Championship. And then if you do excel in it, you get to move up to the FIFT, which is the
31:37Formula 2 World Championship. And then in the F2, there's, you know, very limited seats.
31:43So it's nearly, you know, very few drivers get selected every year. So even making it to F2 is
31:50already a major achievement. And, you know, in a pool of amazing, amazing drivers that was
31:57carefully hand-picked, you then get to the toughest part of it all, I think, which is
32:03getting a seat to Formula 1, which costs millions of dollars, millions and millions and millions of
32:09dollars. And not just that, but you also need to have the, you know, the talent, the skills,
32:17the results, and then to hopefully be selected by one of the 10 F1, well, no, 11 F1 teams.
32:25Wow. Okay, now that you describe it, that makes it so exciting. I mean, you know,
32:30as our conversation went along, I've been gaining a greater appreciation for the sport. I mean,
32:37I was reading up on it before we even started speaking, but it's different when you explain
32:41it actually. It makes it so much clearer. And now that I see how close you actually are,
32:48it makes it so exciting. So we have so much to look forward to.
32:52Bianca, thank you so, so much for, you know, taking time out to be with us today
32:58and sharing your story with us. Before we let you go, maybe we'd just like to ask you if there's
33:04one, you know, just tiny, tiny piece of advice that you can give to young Filipinos who want
33:10to pursue their passion, who want to pursue their dream, what would that be?
33:15Never take no for an answer. That is one of the best advice I was ever given. You know,
33:20obviously it's very easy to be peer pressured into pursuing a path that you don't really want
33:26to take, you know, from our parents, from other people, from our environment, you know, from
33:31friends, you know, especially as well, what we see on social media, social media, you know,
33:36it can be very deceiving. And it's the reality is very distorted because of social media.
33:42So that's why it's so important to always be original and to embrace, you know, embrace your
33:49individualities, embrace your flaws, what makes you different, and always have the attitude of
33:57never taking no for an answer. When someone tells you you can't do that, then do everything you can
34:02in your power to be able to do that, not just to prove them wrong, but to prove yourself right,
34:07that, you know, you deserve to be in a space, you deserve that job, you deserve to be in that
34:12university, you deserve to pursue that career choice, even though it's not the norm, even though
34:18it's not what your parents want you to study, even though it's not the career choice that the
34:22parents want you to take. I remember from relatives, they told me that I should just go and study
34:28medicine or accounting so I can, you know, make something out of my life. And I just always think
34:36to myself that if I had followed that advice, I wouldn't be here today. And that would have
34:43broken my heart, that the thought of me not making it because I was peer pressured to not
34:49pursuing my passion, I think would be the most heartbreaking thing in the world. So if there's
34:56an advice I give to young girls and boys is to, yeah, be different, embrace your flaws, you know,
35:02it's not about how well you blend in, but how boldly you stand out. And yeah, never take no.
35:09Thank you so much, Bianca. It's easy to see why and how you're becoming a role model for
35:16Filipinos, for young Filipinos especially. Thank you so much. Maybe you can invite them to,
35:22you know, follow you on social media as well. Where can we find you on social media?
35:27Yes, so I'm actually on all social media platforms, a little bit too much, but I'm on Instagram,
35:35I handle Racerpia on TikTok, Racerpia as well. And yeah, I've got my fan page, Bianca Bustamante.
35:42So yeah, and I'll be competing in the GBC Championship. So watch out for that.
35:47Well, we will definitely be rooting for you. Thank you so much, Bianca. And we wish you
35:52all the best in a great 2025, a great run this 2025. Thank you so much, Bianca.
35:59Thank you. Thank you so much.
36:01And that's a checkered flag on our conversation with Bianca Bustamante. Bianca, truly an inspiring
36:08journey from your early karting days here in the Philippines to now how you're making waves
36:13on the international racing circuit. It's so great to see how you're doing all that as a Filipina.
36:19And yours is really a reminder that with dedication and passion, we can do pretty
36:27much whatever we set our minds to. And to our dear Kapusos, if you're feeling a little
36:32extra inspired or you want to really go after and chase your dream, please do subscribe to
36:38Power Talks so you make sure to never miss an episode of inspiring stories, inspiring journeys
36:44that will help you achieve your goals. And don't forget to leave us a review and to rate the show
36:50because this will help us reach more listeners too. Thank you so much once again. And of course
36:54to Bianca, thank you so much again for sharing your incredible journey with us. And to all our
36:59Kapusos, our dear listeners, keep pushing those limits and go full speed ahead to make sure that
37:04you reach your goals.