Bianca Bustamante steps up to Eurocup-3 with Palou Motorsport for 2026 season
- RACERS
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Bianca Bustamante will continue her single-seater progression in 2026 by joining Palou Motorsport in partnership with Prema Racing for the Eurocup-3 championship, taking on the new Dallara 326.
Filipina racing talent Bianca Bustamante has taken the next step in her single-seater career, confirming she will compete in both the Eurocup-3 Winter Series and the full Eurocup-3 Championship in 2026 with Palou Motorsport.
The move marks another progression in Bustamante’s pathway on the single seater ladder after stepping up from F1 Academy to GB3 Championship in 2025. Eurocup-3 has quickly established itself as a proving ground for emerging talent since its launch in 2023, offering young drivers the chance to develop on iconic European circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, and Barcelona. The 2026 season will also launch a new technical era for the championship, with teams switching to the all-new Toyota-powered Dallara 326 chassis, presenting Bustamante with the challenges as well as opportunities of mastering a brand-new car in a highly competitive international environment.
“I could not be more excited to announce the step up into Eurocup 3 with Palou Motorsport with the technical support of Prema Racing", Bianca commented. "Palou Motorsport has had some great achievements since its formation including podiums and a maiden win last season, and its new partnership with Prema Racing – a team I know well from my time in F1 Academy – gives me confidence that we will work well together. Having that familiarity while learning a new car and new series will be really helpful as I prepare for the season ahead."
Although stepping into a new series represents a major leap, Bustamante will find familiarity within her new surroundings. Palou Motorsport, founded in 2023 by four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou and his father Ramon, in fact recently announced a technical partnership with Prema Racing - the same powerhouse team with which Bustamante contested the 2023 F1 Academy season, claiming two victories. Through this collaboration, Bustamante will benefit from Prema's top-tier engineering expertise, simulator tools, and technical resources as she embarks on her next European campaign.
Following a learning-oriented season in the GB3 Championship in 2025, the transition to Eurocup-3 represents a carefully planned step designed to build experience, mileage, and competitiveness against a strong mixed-gender field.
"Eurocup-3 is definitely an exciting series to be a part of, attracting some very talented drivers and teams to the most challenging and renowned circuits in the world – and all with an exceptionally technically advanced car in the Dallara 326", Bustamante continued.
"2025 was a big year and I feel more prepared than ever to take on this new challenge. My focus is on maximising every opportunity, continuing to grow as a driver, and achieving good results to help push closer to my next goal of reaching FIA Formula 3.”
Bustamante’s 2026 campaign will begin with the Eurocup-3 Winter Series, starting at Portimão’s Autódromo Internacional do Algarve on February 20–22. The second round will take place at Circuito del Jarama in Spain from February 27 to March 1, before the three-event Winter Series concludes at MotorLand Aragón on March 13–15. The full Eurocup-3 Championship will then get underway in early May at Circuit Paul Ricard in France.
