2023 F1 Academy: Bianca Bustamante joins PREMA

PREMA has announced its first driver for the inaugural F1 Academy season as Bianca Bustamante joins the F2/F3 title-winning team.

Eighteen-year-old Bianca Bustamante becomes the second driver to be announced for the inaugural F1 Academy season. Bustamante will race with PREMA in what will be her second season with the team.

The 2022 Season

Bustamante had quite the debut year in single-seaters. First, she raced in the USF Junior series running in four races and finishing 25th in the standings with 32 points.

In late January, Bustamante participated in a five-day W series test in Arizona alongside 14 other prospective drivers. After the second pre-season test in Barcelona, she was announced as one of the two drivers for the W Series Academy team for the 2022 season. Bustamante finished 15th with only two points after scoring in the opening race.

In November, she raced part-time in the Indian Racing League running five races and finished the season 15th with 54 points. Bustamante is currently racing in the Formula 4 UAE Championship with PREMA where she sits in 24th with a singular point after nine races.

BREAKING: Bianca Bustamante joins @PREMA_Team for the inaugural F1 Academy season! 🤩

The Filipino driver becomes the Italian squad's first signing ✍️#F1Academy pic.twitter.com/viM3BqHSlk

— F1 Academy (@f1academy) February 3, 2023

Following the announcement, Bustamante stated:

“With PREMA, I’m joining a top driver development programme both on and off the race track, and most importantly, I will have a rigorous race and test programme, giving me the much-needed seat time to perform at my best in competition.”

Rene Rosin (Team Principal of PREMA) added:

“I think she will be an outstanding fit right from the start, especially considering what she was able to achieve in her first experiences, and we are determined to provide her with our best support.”