THE SINGAPORE Grand Prix came back after a two-year hiatus, and fans from all over the world flocked to the Lion City to see the fastest cars on the circuit.
What also made this year's Singapore Grand Prix even more meaningful was a chance to watch kababayan Bianca Bustamante on the track. The 17-year-old, who's been racing since she was just six years old, competed in the W Series — an all-female racing championship launched in 2018 that competes during some of the F1 race weekends.
“It was great to have a Filipina on the grid. One of the main reasons we went to Singapore is because of the W Series Support Race. It must be nice for Bianca as well to have solid crowd support during the Singapore Grand Prix,” said Mark Jacinto, who was attending an F1 Grand Prix for the first time.

Fellow first-time live F1 watcher Micah del Carmen got to attend a meet and greet session with Bustamante. Del Carmen gushed about how Bianca “wanted to be an inspiration for young girls to be fearless and be involved in the sport.”
On Instagram, Bustamante was very grateful for the support that she received. Despite a tricky qualifying caused by the rain, she was able to make up places and finished the race in P15.
“It was such an amazing experience to race here in Singapore, the support was overwhelming and I feel I am continually growing as a driver," she wrote.
"I can't wait to get back behind the wheel very very sooon! This has been such a memorable ride, thank you everyone who’s become a part of my journey; my family and friends who flew in, to all the Filipino and Asians who stood tall alongside me cheering me on."
New and old attendees from the Philippines grace F1 Singapore Grand Prix
For F1 fans Jacinto and del Carmen, watching the Singapore GP was a dream come true.
“For my brother's birthday on October 5, he wanted to watch the F1 race live as his gift," said Jacinto. "We have been watching the live viewing parties at Skinny Mike's since 2021, and some colleagues who are there [would] always tell us [about] the experience of watching it live. So we tried."

Del Carmen only got into the sport recently (thanks to Netflix's Drive to Survive), but she's certainly hooked now now.
“I've been wanting to go since I was around 14, but I was never really a fan. During the pandemic, I became so obsessed with the sport. So when Singapore opened, I decided to finally go since I can now appreciate it,” she said.
Micah’s experience was topped off by an opportunity to attend an F1 Experience where attendees had an exclusive Q&A session that featured key figures in the sport, like Bernd Maylander, David Croft, Karun Chandhok, and F1 driver Kevin Magnussen.
According to del Carmen,“They gave great insights on what they do on a daily basis and they just really love the sport.”
William Herrera, who owns the Red Rock Travel agency, has been facilitating motorsport tours and packages in the country for more than two decades. This year's Singapore Grand Prix, he said, had the second highest attendance on record — right after the circuit's inaugural race in 2008.
“The on track and off track activities are top notch, I believe [it’s the] best value for money F1 tour you can get. It also makes a big difference that we Filipinos can easily hop on a plane to attend, no visas needed," he said.
Herrera added: "After being quarantined for 2 years, people were just itching to travel, plus, a lot of new fans were introduced to the sport through Netflix. The Drive to Survive series was a huge boost.”

First-time live fans were lent a hand by the helpful Pinoy F1 community. On group chats and threads of the F1 Club of the Philippines, more experienced attendees dished out helpful tips.
“Some of us went to Singapore alone, but left with new found friends and colleagues sharing the same passion for F1," said Jacinto, who gave a hat tip to Herrera. "Some of us were also able to join the track invasion to watch the awarding ceremonies.”
The ultimate fan experience for F1 diehards
When you attend a Grand Prix, you wouldn’t really expect that you’d be able to meet any of the drivers or even see them up close. However, this year’s three-day event at Singapore had a special session for fans to see the drivers up close.
During the first two days of the GP, those who had access to Zone 1 of the circuit had the chance to see all of the drivers on-stage and were able to watch them get interviewed live.
Model and influencer Sofia Jahrling, who is a Tifosi and a huge Charles Leclerc fan, shared her experience inside this Zone on TikTok.
Other fans were also lucky to have gotten pictures and autographs from the drivers as they were walking around the area. The paddock exit was the best place for this, but fans had to patient as some of the drivers would come out as late (or, depending on your body clock, as early) as 3 in the morning.
Stephanie Mendoza, a first-time attendee, had her patience rewarded as she was able to get autographs from more than half of the grid. She stayed outside of the paddock as soon as the gates opened, and would go directly there after every race day.
As for myself, my best friend and I were able to meet the McLaren drivers thrice, getting selfies and their autographs. I was also able to meet McLaren’s CEO Zak Brown as well as their team principal Andreas Seidl.
Even more unbelievable? McLaren driver Lando Norris posted our photos on his Instagram photography account @lando.jpg.

Being a huge Lando and McLaren fan, it still feels so surreal that all of that has happened. Truly, a weekend for the books.
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