Bianca Bustamante shows promise in qualifying in Eurocup-3 season finale in Barcelona
Bianca Bustamante completed her debut Eurocup-3 campaign showing encouraging pace particularly in an impressive second qualifying that put her mid-pack for the final race of the season, after finishing in the top-20 in Race 1.
Bianca Bustamante ended her debut Eurocup-3 campaign showing encouraging pace throughout the Barcelona weekend, highlighted by an impressive second qualifying performance that put her mid-pack for the final race of the season.
The Palou Motorsport driver also recovered from 28th on the grid to finish 20th in Race 1, rounding off a learning-oriented campaign in which she continued to make progress in the highly competitive championship.
Bustamante arrived in Barcelona aiming to end the season on a high after steadily building experience with the Dallara 326 throughout her first year in Eurocup-3. The Filipina had made gradual progress during the campaign, scoring her first top-20 finish at Paul Ricard before taking a career-best 14th place at Portimão and then recording three consecutive top-20 results at Imola.
She had shown further promise at Monza, where strong qualifying pace and a consistent Race 1 performance kept her inside the top 20, although a technical problem prevented her from taking the start of Race 2. At Silverstone, despite further technical difficulties and challenging weather conditions, Bustamante continued to improve her pace and gained four positions on the opening lap of Race 1. One of her most difficult weekends followed at Jerez, where incidents outside her control prevented her from converting her race pace into representative results. She however bounced back at the Hungaroring, returning to the top 20 with a positive 17th-place finish, her best result since Imola.
The final round began on an encouraging note, with Bustamante showing promising pace in pre-event testing and ending Friday with a best time of 1:34.460. Qualifying 1 proved more challenging, with the gaps across the field particularly tight. Bustamante initially posted a 1:34.260, placing her close to the top 20 as the times came in, before improving to 1:34.150. The lap was ultimately enough for 28th place, leaving her with work to do in the opening race.
Starting 28th for Race 1 on Saturday afternoon, in sunny conditions, Bustamante made a solid getaway to gain two positions off the line. The race was soon neutralised, however, after Tarnvanichkul and Giaccardi collided at Turn 1, while El Feghali also came to a halt in the pits with a technical issue. Bustamante was running 25th under the Safety Car before racing resumed on lap three.
The Filipina immediately made progress, passing Barbuy and Kolovos to move up to 23rd and closing in on Daryanani. She then gained another position when Popov dropped down the order and ran off the road following contact with Beckley. Bustamante continued to make steady progress as the race remained green, moving up to 22nd and then 21st when Sztuka went off.
With the top 20 now within reach, Bustamante began closing the gap to Daryanani. She found a little more pace on lap eight, recording a 1:36.1 and gaining ground through the first sector, but was not quite close enough to attempt a move. The pair had also opened a three-second margin over the cars behind, allowing them to continue their fight without immediate pressure from the chasing pack.
Bustamante tried again on lap 12, making a move on Daryanani for 20th place, but her rival was able to switch back and reclaim the position. The battle continued into the closing stages, with Daryanani subsequently passing McLean, who became the next target for the Palou Motorsport driver. Bustamante crossed the finish line in 21st place before being promoted to 20th in the final classification, completing a solid recovery drive after starting near the back of the field.
Qualifying 2 brought a much more encouraging result in the final qualifying session of the season. Bustamante initially posted a 1:37.483 before finding significant improvements as the field began to lower its times, moving into the top 10 with a 1:33.470 halfway through the session. She remained competitive as the times continued to fall, posting a 1:33.254 with four minutes remaining to move up to 12th.
Bustamante eventually secured 18th place, just seven tenths of a second away from pole position. It was a particularly strong effort from the Filipina, providing a positive highlight in her final qualifying appearance of the campaign and putting her in a promising position for the season's last race.
Bustamante lined up 17th for Race 2, but faced a more difficult start than in the opening contest, dropping to 22nd off the line before settling into 23rd place on the first lap. Initially lapping in the 1:38s, she was passed by Gentil but soon began finding her rhythm, improving to the 1:36.4s while also having to defend her position from Feldmann. She continued to build her pace, lowering her time to 1:36.1 before the Safety Car was deployed after Cota went off following contact with Tarnvanichkul.
Bustamante was running 22nd when the race resumed on lap 10, but her final outing of the season came to an abrupt end just half a lap later. The Filipina's car was left stranded at Turn 6, forcing her to retire and bringing an unfortunate conclusion to her Eurocup-3 campaign.
Despite the disappointing ending, Bustamante leaves her first season in the championship having gained valuable experience and made progress in adapting to the Dallara 326. Her recovery to 20th in Race 1 and especially the strong performance in the final qualifying session offered further signs of her potential, as she looks to build on the steps made during her first campaign in Eurocup-3.
