F1 Academy ace Bianca Bustamante is the living embodiment of motorsport’s increasing diversity and inclusion efforts, making it a richer environment simply by being herself.

A two-time race winner in the category, Bustamante has signed with McLaren for the 2024 season.

It will see her carry the papaya colours of the team on her car, run by ART, throughout the seven-round season, all of which take place alongside Formula 1.

The F1 Academy has been created in an attempt to bolster female awareness and participation in motorsport.

Using Tatuus F4 cars, it’s positioned such that drivers can progress into the FIA Formula 3 Championship and is a recognisable step on the road towards the sport’s pinnacle.

It follows on from the W Series, which broke the mould with its (at the time controversial) all-female approach.

That cause is now being championed by F1, with support from the 10 teams, and continues to provide another avenue for drivers who might have otherwise never had the chance while raising awareness over important issues such as diversity and inclusion in motorsport.

“It means everything,” Bustamante said on today’s episode of the KTM Summer Grill when asked what it means to race in F1 Academy alongside the F1 paddock.

“It’s about representation. It’s about making a change. It’s about standing and saying that we belong here and we have a spot in racing, and we’re here to stay.”

Bustamante is a prime example of those who benefit from such initiatives.

She hails from a small town in country not typically known for its motorsport passion and grew up in a middle-class Pilipino family.

Her father worked three jobs to put food on the table, never mind Bustamante’s ambitions to pursue her racing career.

To do so, she sacrificed her schooling and social life and was forced to look internationally as there were no tracks locally.

She was successful in karts and her path has now led her to the F1 Academy and McLaren, in doing so, transforming her into one of the most recognisable young drivers on the planet.

It’s a fact that seems to almost embarrass the 18-year-old, but one she is acutely aware gives her a unique opportunity and responsibility.

“Having that platform and also that connection – F1 Academy led me to McLaren, and because of that it’s given me so much opportunity, it’s opened a lot of doors, windows for me as a driver,” she explained.

“That’s why even being with F1, it’s going to be even more incredible because all these young girls and boys will watch the TV and they get to dream again and get to think that ‘if they can do it, I can do it too. If she’s this little girl from a little town in the Philippines and she could be a racing driver, then what’s stopping me?’

“Imagine all these people watching, millions and millions and millions, and to have them see our passion, your drive, how much we fight for and how much we want this.

“In that journey, we hope to inspire the next generation, and that’s why it’s important; not just for us but for everyone watching, for everyone that is cheering us on.

“It’s honestly incredible.”

Motorsport is changing.

While still dominated by males, it is more inclusive than it has ever been, with new fans being drawn to it from market segments not typically associated with racing.

Bustamante has seen a change first-hand one social media.

Where once it was largely male-dominated, she suggests 60 percent of her fans are now female.

“To see that massive change in the supporters and the fans and the viewers is incredible,” she noted.

“The fact that we have a lot of female fans who are coming along and are becoming more open about their love for the sport, because back then they were often you know, bullied or gaslighted into not liking racing because it’s for guys, cars are for guys.

“To see that change is incredible.”

It’s more than that, however, with the new fans coming from an all-new demographic, highlighting the sport’s growing reach.

“I get a lot of messages from all the girls are like asking me, oh my gosh, what mascara do you use when you race? How come your eyes, your eyelashes are perfect? You know, they’re like asking you what’s your lip? Like? What’s your lipstick shade? I love it.

“Seeing those comments, being a racing driver, it empowers me so much.

“You can be as feminine as you want in a very masculine sport.

“I wear makeup when I race. It gives me the confidence, it allows me to be myself. To be so comfortable in racing, doing all of that, it’s a massive change from where we were a couple of years ago.

“So to be in the front line of all the changes is amazing.”