Bianca Bustamante bucks pressure, depression to chase W Series dream
MANILA, Philippines — Filipina teen racer Bianca Bustamante is on cloud nine after making the final roster of drivers for the 2022 W Series season.
What was only a dream some months ago now becomes a reality for the 17-year-old as she's locked in at least two years with the F1 support series race.
But the road to making Filipino motorsports history was not an easy one for the 17-year-old, as she admitted facing difficulties in the quest of achieving her W Series goal.
"At times, I would push myself past my limits. You know, I was there, I was testing, I had to learn so much in a short amount of time, and I would feel the pressure. There's just so much pressure. There's so many people watching," Bustamante told Philstar.com in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.
"I think that was one of the things that kinda scared me a little. There was just so many people watching my journey. You know? There's so many people supporting me and I didn't want to disappoint. I didn't want to come home and tell everyone that I didn't get it," she added.
To pursue her W Series dream, Bustamante was forced to be alone in the United States, away from family and a solid support system.
She was also thrust into the professional athlete life rapidly after experiencing a lull in her racing due to the pandemic.
That set-up, combined with the demands of pursuing a seat in the women's top-flight single-seater racing championship, caused some distress to the teen.
"As a 17-year-old, that kinda pushed me in a path where I just felt a bit drained and I guess depressed. I was in America by myself so I didn't have that much of emotional support," she said.
Still, Bustamante powered through and impressed W Series enough to grant her a seat for not just one season but two to really amp up her racing development.
The end-goal of rising through the ranks in racing was what keyed Bustamante's perseverance in chasing her dream.
"What kept me going was the idea of me racing all over the world. What kept me going was being in W Series," she said.
"After all of the hardships I was put through, at the end of the day, I'm gonna be racing in one of my dreams," she added.
Bustamante joins Japan's Juju Noda in the W Series Academy Team in the nine-team, 18-driver grid for the 2022 W Series season.
Racing kicks off for the Filipina in May in Miami where they will be a support race for F1's Miami Grand Prix.
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