SUMMARY
- McLaren breaks tradition by signing Bianca Bustamante, the first woman in their driver development program for 2024.
- Bustamante faces lingering backlash for a controversial tweet involving autism and Lance Stroll on her birthday.
Since the inception of Formula 1, the sport has been primarily dominated by men. So, when McLaren declared their first female signee, Bianca Bustamante for their driver development program, it came as a breath of fresh air. In the upcoming 2024 season, the newly turned 19-year-old talent is gearing up to sport McLaren’s colors on the racetrack.
Happy birthday to our F1 Academy Driver @RacerBia. 🎂 Bianca Bustamante turns 19 today! 🧡#McLaren #F1Academy pic.twitter.com/APrA7SEp4A
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) January 19, 2024
The Filipina celebrated her 19th birthday on January 19 and her signing team wished her over social media on her special day. However, a few weeks ago, Bustamante found herself engrossed in controversy after liking a ‘problematic tweet’ on X. This involved autism, an unfortunate neurological disorder, and Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll. Even after many weeks, fans seemed to have not forgotten about this incident.
Bianca Bustamante suffers as trolling fans dampen celebration
Surprisingly, the controversial post referred to Stroll as “autism Stroll” and mocked him as a pay driver. The fallout was swift and prompted a backlash from the online community. Despite her formal apology, fans seem to have held a grudge against the young driver. On her birthday, the McLaren F1 wished their junior driver but motorsport as well as Lance Stroll fans went berserk in the comments.
A fan who goes by the username (@dystainak) wrote, “What’s the point of her being part of McLaren if it was for PR & she had a PR disaster?” This highlights a whole new controversy pointing out the kind of role Bustamante has within the team which is driven by PR. It is also important to note that apart from being an F1 Academy driver, she is also an ‘influential influencer’ with millions of followers on TikTok.
Another user (@snowyethereal) commented, “I love you McLaren but she liked some very harmful tweets about autism and I can’t get past that.” Fans vividly remember the Stroll incident, and it shows no signs of fading away soon.
Revolutionizing F1: Female Drivers Challenge Racing Norms
At almost 200 mph, Bianca Bustamante steers her car with ease through crowds. Last year, she made history after being appointed in the driver development program. Competing in the all-female F1 Academy series with Italy’s Prema Racing, she remarkably accomplished even without a driver’s license.
📸 VEXT Ambassador, Jamie Chadwick, testing at Sebring ahead of the first Indy NXT race of the season 🤩#VEXT pic.twitter.com/OErhbQXDMJ
— VEXT (@vextoken) January 18, 2024
When Bustamante stepped up for her driving test at the DMV, there was mounting pressure. Yet, she managed to obtain her license in the face of all challenges. Bustamante and sister driver Jamie Chadwick, a three-time W Series champion, will make waves in the 2024 season.
Backed by drivers, ownership, and pit crews, auto racing is pushing for greater diversity. With achievements like Caitlyn Brown being the first female driver to win the Indy500 while serving in the pits, IndyCar has travelled a long way in this arena.