Filipina racing driver Bianca Bustamante adds Formula E to her budding single-seater racing career.
Hard work has paid dividends for Filipina racing driver Bianca Bustamante as she joins Formula E as a development driver, after impressing in the 2024 Formula E all-women test in Jarama, Spain.
Bustamante, currently racing at the GB3 Championship with Elite Motorsport, signed with American-owned racing team CUPRA KIRO and will be making her first appearance for the the team later this month at the 2025 Jakarta E-Prix.
During this time, Bustamante will shadow full-time drivers Dan Ticktum and David Beckmann as she integrates with her new team.
The 20-year-old caught the attention of CUPRA KIRO when she finished P3 during the all-women test, showing potential in her racing skills, despite just beginning racing in formula machinery barely three years ago.
Bustamante makes her first on-track appearance for CUPRA KIRO at the Berlin E-Prix, where she will take part in Formula E’s rookie test at the Templehof Street Circuit in Berlin this coming July 14.
“I’m really excited to join CUPRA KIRO as the team’s Development Driver as I continue my Formula E journey. In the very short time that we’ve been working together, it’s been incredible to experience the team’s disruptive approach to racing in action and to see the team’s hunger and desire for success first-hand," said Bustamante.
“Working with Dan, David, and the team is an invaluable opportunity for me at this stage of my career, and I’m looking forward to applying everything I learn into the GB3 Championship in 2025. I’m excited to absorb everything on-site in Jakarta and of course, to drive the team’s current Season 11 car in Berlin this July,” she added.
CUPRA KIRO COO Russell O’Hagan spoke highly of Bustamante and said that the team is eager to push her development as an athlete and they are looking forward to working with the Filipina.
“Since stepping up to single seater racing only three years ago, Bianca has not only proven that she is a force to be reckoned with but has become one of the leading voices in promoting female participation in motorsport by widening the industry’s talent pipeline," said O’Hagan.
“Opening and fostering opportunities for next generation racing drivers is integral to the future of our sport, and while we’re looking forward to seeing Bianca’s contribution to CUPRA KIRO, we’re equally excited to support her own development as an athlete. I can’t wait to see her embed herself in the team over the coming weeks ahead of her Rookie Test outing in Berlin.”
Previously, Bustamante was also a driver for the McLaren Driver Development Programme, where she competed with them for one year at the F1 Academy. Prior to that, she was a driver for PREMA Racing also at the F1 Academy.