Bianca Bustamante claims first win in F1 Academy

Bianca Bustamante. Photo from F1 Academy

MANILA, Philippines—Bianca Bustamante made history on Saturday by becoming the first-ever Filipino to win a Formula 1 Academy race at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain.

Bustamante claimed her first win—and PREMA Racing Team’s third of the season—in the second race of Round 2.

The 18-year-old Bustamante made a huge leap after coming off a fifth-place finish in Race 1.

“I was just driving by feel that race, using all the experience we had gained throughout the whole week of testing. Starting on pole, I was really feeling the nerves, knowing there were a lot of fast drivers behind me,” Bustamante said on the F1 Academy website.

“The team gave me an amazing car today and I am delighted to take home my first-ever career win today,” she added.

Bustamante led from start to finish in the 11-lap race. It was her best finish since placing second in Race 1 of the opening round less than two weeks ago in Austria.

The win gave Bustamante a boost in the Drivers’ Championship standings with 38 points for fifth place.

Her other teammates in PREMA Chloe Chong and Marta García ended up in P4 and P5, respectively.

Bustamante and PREMA head on to Race 3 on Sunday to determine the team’s final point count for Round 2.

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