Bianca Bustamante’s sudden departure from the McLaren Driver Development Programme is yet another reminder of the fragile nature of opportunities for women in motorsport. After just a single season representing McLaren in the F1 Academy, the Filipina driver finds herself moving on—this time to the GB3 Championship with Elite Motorsport. But her exit raises uncomfortable questions: Were the doors ever truly open for her in the first place? Or was this yet another case of a female driver being given a short-lived chance before being quietly moved aside?

The Cycle of Disposability

Bianca Bustamante driving under McLaren (Photo via @racerbia on X)

Bustamante’s entry into the McLaren program in October 2023 was celebrated as a milestone—she was the first female driver to be signed to the team’s development ranks. Just over a year later, that relationship ended. While driver turnover in junior programs is nothing new, the speed with which women seem to be cycled in and out of these opportunities is alarming. One season. That’s all it took for McLaren to move on.

Motorsport is a brutal industry, and no driver is entitled to a seat based on anything but merit. But this raises a difficult question: How much time do female drivers actually get to prove themselves compared to their male counterparts? There is no shortage of male drivers who remain in junior programs for years, despite middling results. Yet when it comes to female drivers, the leash appears to be much shorter.

Bustamante finished seventh in the 2024 F1 Academy season. It wasn’t a championship-winning campaign, but it was solid—especially considering the challenges that come with being part of a relatively new category designed to foster female talent. But instead of being given further backing to continue her development under McLaren’s wing, she’s been cut loose.

The F1 Academy’s Reality Check

The F1 Academy was created to increase female participation in motorsport, positioning itself as a crucial stepping stone toward higher tiers of racing. And while the program has generated excitement, the reality is that many of its drivers find themselves in uncertain positions as they try to progress.

2024 F1 Academy Drivers (Photo via f1academy.com)

For the 2025 season, a significant portion of the 2024 grid will be forced out due to the Academy’s structure, which limits most drivers to two seasons. Nine of the current drivers—Bustamante included—are not permitted to return. 

While this system may be intended to promote progression, it also means that female drivers are constantly in limbo, with no guarantee of a clear path forward. In July 2023, it was announced that all 10 teams competing in Formula 1 had to have F1 Academy drivers and liveries – bolstering the support for the women’s series and providing a wider scope of opportunities to women in motorsport.

Upon this announcement, Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 academy underlined the importance of the support for F1 Academy, stating, “This landmark moment not only demonstrates the depth of support for F1 Academy from across the F1 community but will inspire a whole generation of young girls to realise the opportunities both on and off track in motorsport”.

Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy (Photo via f1academy.com)

Abbi Pulling, the 2024 F1 Academy champion, is moving on to GB3 with Rodin Motorsport. Like Bustamante, she faces the same challenge: finding a way to prove herself in a fiercely competitive environment that has historically overlooked women.

If the F1 Academy is meant to be a true pipeline to the highest levels of racing, then where are these drivers actually supposed to go? So far, no woman has made it to a Formula 2 or Formula 3 seat as a direct result of the Academy. And with the lack of long-term support from F1 teams, there’s a genuine concern that these drivers are being showcased for marketing value rather than being nurtured for serious competition.

A System That Demands More—Without Giving Enough

To be clear, Bustamante’s career is not over. Her move to GB3 keeps her in the conversation, and her talent is undeniable. But her journey—like so many before her—exposes the limitations of the current system.

Women in motorsport don’t just have to prove they’re fast. They have to prove they’re exceptional—almost immediately. They don’t get the luxury of multiple seasons to develop. They don’t get the benefit of the doubt after a rough year. And when they are let go, the justification is always the same: performance, as if the playing field was ever truly even to begin with.

The F1 Academy is a step in the right direction, but unless it leads to real opportunities—sustained, meaningful investment in female drivers’ careers—then it risks becoming little more than a revolving door. A place where young women are given a taste of the dream, only to be discarded just as quickly. 

Bustamante’s story isn’t just about one driver moving on from a team. It’s about the wider problem in motorsport: how easily female talent can be overlooked, how quickly they can be discarded, and how uncertain their path to Formula 1 really is.