At just 19, Bustamante’s rise in global motorsports over the past three years has been nothing short of meteoric.
Qualities of an elite athlete
The quiet young girl I met almost a decade ago at KF1, Singapore’s main karting track, who was winning races across Asia, has transformed into a strong, beautiful, and resilient young adult.
She seized an incredible opportunity by the horns and has ridden the bull that is competitive sports with the unusual combination of humility, elegance and toughness only seen in the world’s most elite athletes.
Today, Bustamante counts Cisco, EA Sports, Google and Logitech G, among other well-known international brands, as sponsors, not to mention her being the first female driver to be signed up by McLaren to their Driver Development programme.
Challenges
The reality though is not all magazine covers and press conferences. Bustamante is currently based in the United Kingdom, from which she travels all over the world to compete. There she lives on her own, navigates day-to-day life with only herself to lean on and rely on.
“When I started McLaren, they offered me a chance to live with them in the UK, to be close to the factories, to headquarters, to learn every day in and out, and at that time, I was about 18,” Bustamante shares. “I was obviously scared. Living in a new country meant commitment, that I had to get my own flat, I had to organize my papers, I had to actually just fix everything on my own as I had to be on my own.”
The sudden change from her life in the Philippines was drastic. There, her parents, Raymund and Janice, would drive her to and from the track in Carmona and accompany her on trips all over Asia and Australia to race. This time, it would just be… well, her.
“I just couldn't miss it. I couldn't say no, even though I was scared,” she reveals. Despite her trepidations, she pushed forward. “You know, it's one thing to travel for racing, but wanting to live for racing, you know, leave everything, my whole life [is something else].”
Toughest race
But that was then. Today, Bustamante is mastering independence, living on her own, fending for herself and managing her professional life.
Her toughest race is not on the track, but at home, where washing dishes, doing laundry and cooking for herself remind her of how fortunate she is to have parents who allow her to pursue her passions, and who did everything for her before her circumstances changed.
She laughingly admits, “I still call my manager, Darryl, asking him if my chicken is cooked or not.”
True to form, Bustamante has already come up with a system.
“The best thing that actually helped me is discipline and organization, having a calendar, and it is something that I'm still working on now. I feel like it's so hard to be organized, especially when you're having to manage being a professional racing driver, and also be a 19-year-old girl living by yourself in a foreign country. I realized that having that separation, I need to have a calendar to remind me to do things like groceries, pay this, pay that, and to also go to work, to testing.”
Value of patience
Recently, Bustamante discovered another sport, one that her sports psychology coach, who she credits for helping her “manage the pressure” and navigate “the changing variables in life” recommended - golf.
A stark contrast to her sport of choice, Bustamante says golf is one of patience. “One recent learning is the value of patience. Patience is such a virtue that not many people often have. We're always looking for progress. We're always looking for improvements and we're so impatient with ourselves”.
“To be honest, I was impatient for the longest time. When I wasn't winning, I would get mad at myself and it made sense because I just didn’t have patience. Golf is where you can hit a hundred shots, but if you're doing one thing wrong you're doing everything wrong,” she says.
“I correlate that to motorsport. When I'm driving on track, I can do 100 laps, but if I'm braking at the wrong point, or if I'm over-driving, or if I'm not in the right mindset, or if my approach is wrong… it’s like a puzzle if you get one piece wrong and then you can never build the whole picture,” she adds.
Concern for other Filipino athletes
Bustamante’s one main concern back home is about the other athletes who are in the shoes she was in before things turned around.
“I feel sports isn't really something that's pushed in the Philippines. It's not a career path that most kids take. I was very fortunate that my dad was passionate about racing and that passion led to a lot of sacrifices, and those sacrifices led me to where I am now.”
She believes the key is nurturing the next generation of athletes, and more so the parents.
“It would be great to be brought up in a world where sports are highly encouraged, I think that's so important. Not just highly encouraged, but also provided a pathway where they can actually succeed and make a living out of their passion.”
Margarita is a multi-faceted writer having published articles across newspaper sections and different print publications, from food to socials, to parenting, lifestyle, travel, and socio-economic issues.
