Kriti Mehrotra
While it’s true that Bianca Bustamante has arguably been the unofficial face of females in motorsports over the past few years, her journey has not been without its fair share of ups and downs. As explored in Netflix’s ‘F1: The Academy,’ she has sometimes had trouble juggling racing and influencing despite the latter enabling her to afford the former — her true passion. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that fans are now curious to learn much more about not only her background as well as her career trajectory, but also her overall earnings and net worth.
How Did Bianca Bustamante Earn Her Money?
Born on January 19, 2005, in Manila, Philippines, to working-class locals Janice and Raymund Bustamante as one of their three kids, Bianca Bustamante has always been hard-working. According to records, she developed a keen interest in racing at an early age through karting while also being really aware that it is not a sport that her family could afford in the long term. That’s why once she realized she never wanted to part from it, she became even more competitive so as to earn additional opportunities without turning her family’s financial standing upside down.
Bianca was reportedly just a young girl when she began dominating the karting scene in Asia, shortly after which she expanded her wings by proving her mettle across Europe and the US, too. This was to such an extent that she was the only Asian driver selected for the 2021 FIA Track Rising Stars scholarship, a platform specifically designed for young females in the sport. What also helped solidify her standing was her previous experiences in leagues like the SKUSA SuperNationals, the Asia Cup, and the Asian Karting Open Championship (from 2013-2019).
Bianca’s skill level for most of these years was so innately, truly exceptional that she concluded almost every crucial series in a final position between 2nd and 6th. Then came her debut in the W Series in 2022, which changed the entire trajectory of her career since it also inadvertently brought out her extroverted, fun-loving, outside-of-racing personality. Thus, while also handling USF Juniors and the Indian Racing League, she gradually established an online career, which ultimately caught the eye of several key people.
Bianca subsequently ended up debuting in the Formula 4 UAE Championship, the Italian F4 Championship, the Macau F4 Races, and the F1 Academy, all of which further propelled her career. In fact, she soon broke barriers by attracting McLaren’s renowned Driver Development Programme and then, in October 2023, becoming the first female driver to ever be signed by them. The very next season, she competed in not just the F1 Academy, but also the Italian F4, Euro 4, Formula Winter, and F4 British Championships, yet none of them sadly panned out in the way she’d imagined. The stress of juggling all aspects of her work was taking over her, but she remains a significant part of the industry because her potential never wavered – she is now in the GB3 Championship under the banner of Elite Motorsports.
Bianca Bustamante’s Earnings and Net Worth
Considering that Bianca has been an active racer for over a decade, it’s safe to say she has managed to build a respectable amount of wealth for herself. Her income comes from a mix of signing amounts with the teams she’s raced for, potential performance bonuses, brand deals, partnerships, and sponsorships. But as Bianca herself has shared, racing is an incredibly expensive sport—she’s had to cover a lot of costs out of pocket, including the car, engineers, mechanics, tracks, tires, helmets, and other essential equipment.
Bianca has never won a championship or secured a podium in races that offer prize money, so her earnings from racing itself have been limited. However, she’s made the most of her position as a rising figure in the world of young female motorsport. As an Elite-signed GB3 contender and a growing public personality, her real income today seems to come primarily from her work as a public figure—whether it’s through online content or fan meet-and-greet events.
While her YouTube channel isn’t particularly active at the moment, with just 13.5k subscribers and around 800,000 total views, she’s found a solid following on Instagram and TikTok, where she has over 3 million combined followers. Based on typical monetization rates—around $5 per 1,000 views—she’s likely earned around $4,000 from YouTube. As for her social media platforms, her combined follower base, engagement, and appeal as a young, glamorous driver mean she’s likely pulled in significant income, even if not at the multi-million dollar level. Factoring in estimated earnings from her brand collaborations, sponsorships, and social media presence—likely in the range of $10,000 to $25,000 per major deal—it’s fair to estimate that she’s earned around $80,000 in sponsorships alone.
Add in the modest income from her passion photography account (44.2k followers) and small projects—likely a few thousand dollars—and the picture becomes clearer. After considering the high costs of racing, her public appearances, social media income, and sponsorships, it’s reasonable to estimate Bianca Bustamante’s net worth at around $150,000.
Read More: Lia Block’s Net Worth: How Rich is the F1 Academy Race Driver?
