Bustamante says maiden F1 Academy win to boost her confidence for next races

 

Filipina driver Bianca Bustamante said that her maiden victory in the inaugural season of F1 Academy will serve as her confidence-booster in the upcoming races.

To recall, Bustamante won in Race 2 of the all-female single-seater race held in Valencia, Spain. There, Bustamante gave a notable performance as she led the race from start to finish. After Valencia, Bustamante and her teammates at Prema Racing will head to Barcelona for the third race track on the calendar.

“Motorsport is such an intricate sport,” Bustamante told Carmudi Philippines in a virtual presser as she described the focus and confidence required from a racer.

“It’s never just about driving, never just the physical aspect, it’s such a mental game… How you’re always fighting for every corner — the entries, the exits — that the minute you lose confidence is a very critical point, ” said the first Filipina to have finished P1 in F1 Academy.

Bustamante admitted that a race win has skyrocketed her confidence, but she also mentioned that she intends not to have the elation of a first-place victory get into her head.

“Definitely, a race win has skyrocketed this (her confidence), but to a point where I can put all of this into a positive progression — not letting it get into my head like I said — to still put my foot down and my head down and focus on the next one,” she explained.

Bustamante’s win in Race 2 of Valencia did not only boost her confidence but also took her team a step further to winning the F1 Academy Team Championship. In fact, Bustamante’s victory earned Prema Racing enough scores to take the Italian motorsport team 13 points ahead of MP Motorsport, the second-best crew in F1 Academy in the current team standings.

Despite her win, Bustamante acknowledges that she still has a lot to work on and there is still room for improvement.

Bustamante is now sixth overall in the Driver’s Championship.

“In reality, we still have so much more to work on. The progress has been amazing, but I know we are capable of achieving much greater things. I’m one step closer to my Everest every day and that makes me happy and that gives me confidence knowing that mentally and physically I’m in top shape heading into the next few rounds,” said Bustamante.

She will compete again in Barcelona from May 19-21, 2023. The calendar will see Bustamante and her team race in Zandvoort, Monza, Le Castelett, and finally, Austin.

Photos from W Series and Formula 1

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