No room for mistakes says Bustamante in 'precise' Singapore Grand Prix circuit
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino W Series racing driver Bianca Bustamante has little room for error when she restarts her rookie year action in the Singapore Grand Prix next weekend.
The 17-year-old W Series Academy driver will test the mettle of the Marina Bay Street Circuit in its entirety for the first time in her young career.
Other than having to adjust to racing at night with Singapore happening in the evening rather than the usual afternoon schedules of races, Bustamante is also keen on being exact in her driving.
"Because the race is at night, I need to switch my timezone a little... That's one of the things that I've been working on because I've been so used to sleeping at 9 p.m. and waking up at 6 a.m. Now I have to switch everything, I have to sleep later and wake up later. That's one of the things that I've been trying to work on," Bustamante said.
"And you know, obviously, street circuits, I've always loved street circuits because everything's so precise in a street circuit, you can't make [the] smallest bit of mistakes because it can cost you a lot." she added.
But if one were to look at Bustamante's experience in street circuits so far, one would see that she was able to score her first points in the W Series season in a street circuit: at the Miami Grand Prix, the first race of the year for W Series.
That, adding to her overall excitement for the race, as it's also the closest thing the teenage driver has to a home race in Southeast Asia, promises optimism for the young rookie.
"That's an amazing feeling, going over the limit, dancing around the circuit, going from inch to an inch to a wall, it's just an amazing feeling," said Bustamante.
"And I'm so happy that we actually went to Singapore instead of Japan. Not that I'm being biased, but I do love Singapore, so I'm really glad," she continued.
Bustamante is looking to score points for the second time this season in a race where she will likely be watched by a sizeable Filipino contingent, including her family and friends.
The Filipina driver is currently P14 in the driver's championship standings, the top among rookies in the 18-driver grid.
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