FORMULA 1 driver Esteban Ocon heaped praise on Filipina teen racer Bianca Bustamante after spending time with the 18-year-old in training as Bustamante prepared for her F1 Academy debut.
Esteban Ocon on Bianca Bustamante
In an interview with Twitch streamer Corentin Houssein, Ocon spoke about the impact of F1 taking over the women's single-seater championship.
"This category will be with us on many races." Ocon said in French.
They will support the US Grand Prix with their 7th and final race of the inaugural season in late October.
"I trained with a young girl named Bianca, who was at my training center. She was the first to arrive and the last to depart. It was a crazy thing." said the Alpine driver.
One of the most promising drivers from the Philippines, Bustamante impressed Ocon by her sheer talent when they rubbed shoulders at 321 Perform, a learning center in France.
In a span of a couple of years, Bustamante moved from kart racing to the F1 Academy. Last year, she competed in the W Series before shifting to the Formula 4 UAE Championship.
"It was that she had a gift right away. She understands how things should be done. She was super strong, super talented right away." the 26-year-old said.
Bustamante competes with Prema Racing in the F1 Academy's first season where she joins Chloe Chong, and Marta Garcia.
Ocon shared that the Filipina racer was able to go toe-to-toe with him, even if they were doing the same thing.
"I have been doing this for years, I was doing the same exercises. [But] she immediately managed to impress me." said Ocon.
Currently, Ocon is 12th in the F1 season's driver standings with four points after the first three races of the season.
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