PREMA Racing’s Bianca Bustamante outlasted the competition with a pole-position finish at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy, last July 9, 2023. The win marks Bustamante's second victory in the tournament, who is now sixth in the Formula 1 Academy’s standings with 102-points—10 markers shy of a top-five position.
Starting at the front of the grid, the Filipina P2 sitter emerged early with an overtake on MP Motorsports’ Hamda Al Qubaisi around the Ascari Chicane. The Emirati driver prematurely ended her race due to breaking issues with the hopes of regaining the lead, coming into contact with the rear of the PREMA into Turn 1, as Bustamante’s Number 16 car left the scene unharmed.
The 18-year-old Bustamante would secure a comfortable lead at the helm before several Safety Car incidents bundled up the grid.
Noting occurrences of order-defining sequences between Rodin Carlin’s Megan Gilkes and Mercantile Campos Racing’s Lola Lovinfosse, as well as PREMA Racing teammate Chloe Chong and Mercantile Campos Racing’s Maite Cáceres at the back of the grid, it did not pose as a threat to the Filipina’s second race win.
Bustamante secured the win and 33 points in three races, noting a podium finish during its second leg to culminate the Temple of Speed weekend. After a victorious campaign at PREMA Racing’s home circuit, the Filipina credits her qualifying position and her team with France’s Circuit Paul Ricard next on the calendar.
“It was a tough race. The P2 in qualifying really helped me. At the start, the main goal was to race cleanly and navigate the first few corners. I tried a few times in T1 for the overtake on Abbi but was able to have a good run on one occasion into T3 and get the move down. It was a really mega job from the team and the car was amazing,” she tells Formula 1 Academy.
