F1 Academy race winner Bianca Bustamante will compete in the season finales of the Euro 4 and Italian F4 Championships at Monza in October, aiming to continue her development with ART Grand Prix leveraging her previous success at the Temple Of Speed.
F1 Academy race winner Bianca Bustamante is set to take part in the season finales of Euro 4 Championship as well as Italian F4 championship, with both events being held in Monza on October 3-6 and October 24-27 respectively.
The Filipina racer will join the grid in a ART Grand Prix entry, the same team that operates her McLaren-liveried Tatuus F4 car in the all-female F1 Academy series.
“I’m very excited to head back to Monza, one of my favorite grand prix circuits", Bustamante commented. "Euro 4 and Italian F4 are arguably the toughest F4 championships in the world, so it definitely means we will face tougher competition."
"It also means going back into a mixed male-female grid, but I love that because I want to compete against the best drivers", she continued.
Bustamante has previously raced in Italian F4 in 2023, in a one-off appearance with Prema Racing at Spa Francorchamps, scoring two top-20s in a highly competitive field.
The McLaren junior has also competed in mixed-gender F4 in F4 UAE and F4 SEA in 2023 – including a participation at Macau – as well as in select rounds of Formula Winter Series and British F4 in 2024, where she scored points at Zandvoort with a remarkable top ten finish.
Bianca will therefore have the chance to return to Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Italy, on a circuit where she has enjoyed significant success in the past, including a race victory and a second place in her rookie F1 Academy season.
"Racing at Monza gives me a bit of extra confidence as I enjoy everything about this track, which will hopefully give me a slight mental edge", she said. "We’re doing everything we can to maximize our growth, so my goal is to drive well and apply everything that we’ve learned throughout the season."
Bustamante is currently seventh in the F1 Academy drivers standings, with a second place finish as a season's best to date at Miami Autodrome. Aiming to maximise her track time ahead of the final two rounds at Lusail and Abu Dhabi, the young Filipina will aim to continue her development in F4 machinery.
"Special thanks to sponsors GoTyme Bank and LEE for making this possible, and to my incredible team, ART Grand Prix, for their tireless work and dedication. I’d also like to thank all the fans for their constant love and support, so happy to be back racing in Italy.”
Her partner for the events, GoTyme Bank, is the fastest growing bank in the Philippines and was title partner at Race to Inspire in August where Bustamante was event ambassador.
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