Bianca Bustamente breaks down in tears as she throws on McLaren gear for first time after making history with F1 giants
BIANCA BUSTAMENTE broke down in tears as she threw on her McLaren shirt for the very first time.
The F1 Academy racer made history by becoming the first ever female driver to join the constructor’s Driver Development programme.
Well wishes and congratulations flooded in for Bustamente following the announcement yesterday.
But taking to Instagram, she revealed her reaction to putting on the McLaren team shirt for the first time.
Bustamente broke down in tears of joy as she put on the shirt and could not hide her joy.
The 18-year-old wrote a lengthy post regarding the “special moment”.
She said: “Was sooo shy to post this one, but I just had to. Putting on my McLaren team shirt for the very first time was a very special moment. So many thoughts and emotions came to me.
“All the struggles and trials my family and I had to battle through, the support from so many people to help me get here, the community of race fans cheering me on, the history and prominence that McLaren represents…
“It’s reallllly hard to describe this moment but I couldn’t fight back my tears… It’s one step closer to my dreams, but still such a long way to go.
“Thank you everyone from the bottom of my heart. I promise to give it my all, I will not waste this opportunity .”
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Bustamente will represent McLaren in the 2024 F1 Academy season and run the team’s livery on her race car with ART Grand Prix.
She made her single-seater debut in the 2022 W Series, before it was axed halfway through the season and went in administration a year later.
In 2023 the Philippine international has raced with PREMA racing in the inaugural season of F1 Academy.
Bustamente has earned two race wins and two further podiums during the season, with the finale taking place Austin, TX, United States alongside the weekend’s F1 GP.
Her joining McLaren comes after James Bond stunt driver Jessica Hawkins became the first woman to test an F1 car since 2018 for Aston Martin last month.
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