Bianca Bustamante of the Philippines ices her shoulder following the F1 Academy Series Round 7:Austin race 1 at Circuit of The Americas on October 21, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Jim Watson, AFP/File

Filipina racer Bianca Bustamante is all pumped up to conquer a new level in her racing career. 

Fresh from her second season in F1 Academy last year, Bustamante, 20, will be competing in the GB3 Championship 2025, a feeder series that bridges Formula 4 and Formula 3.

Bustamante will take on the iconic Silverstone circuit for the opening round on April 26 to 27. 

READ: Bianca Bustamante to race at GB3 Championship for 2025

A mix of 20 male and female drivers have been announced so far, including Bustamante’s F1 Academy 2024 rival and champion Abbi Pulling, across 10 teams.

Bustamante will be racing under Elite Motorsport with Will Macintyre, who finished fifth in the 2024 season of the series and a runner up in the 2023 British F4 Championship. Another teammate is said to be announced soon. 

Aside from the roster of competitive pilots, this season will also see the launch of its improved Tatuus MSV GB3-025 car featuring a revised chassis and Formula 1-inspired aerodynamics. A drag reduction system will also be used for the first time in the championship. 

“We have left no stone unturned in our preparations, with plenty of testing undertaken with my team in both the old GB3 car and the new. I am really enjoying the higher downforce and am increasing my confidence every time I go out on the track,” she said in a statement. 

Race weekend format 

The calendar will span across eight rounds from April to October. 

Three races will take place every race weekend. 

Each race weekend will have two 15-minute qualifying sessions and three 25-minute races. Race 3 will follow a reverse grid order. 

Results in qualifying session 1 and 2 will determine the order of race 1 and 2, respectively. The race 3 order will be the reverse of the top 12 fastest qualifying times before penalties, to be followed by the remaining drivers in qualifying order. 

According to the series, the reverse grid format allows for drivers to develop their overtaking skills. 

Points system

Winning drivers in races 1 and 2 will earn 35 points. The 20th-placer will earn 1 point. The distribution is as follows:

GB3 points system for race 1 and race 2. Screenshot from GB3 website

The third race will award the top 15 drivers with points ranging from 20 to 1.

GB3 points system for race 3. Screenshot from GB3 website

Each position gained in the third race will also be awarded with a point. It means that if a driver started from P10 and finished P2, the driver would have 8 additional points for a total of 25 points. 

Race schedule

Round 1 - April 26-27

Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit, UK

Round 2 - May 17-18

Zandvoort, Netherlands

Round 3 - May 31-June 1 

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium

Round 4 - July 5-6

Hungaroring, Hungary

Round 5 - August 2-3

Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit, UK

Round 6 - August 23-24

Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit, UK

Round 7 - October 4-5

Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit, UK

Round 8 - October 18-19

Monza Circuit, Italy

Where to watch

Races are streamed live on the GB3 YouTube channel, Facebook, and website.