McLaren junior Bianca Bustamante faces backlash from fans for allegedly lying in a social media post

McLaren junior and F1 Academy driver Bianca Bustamante came under fire from the fans after she allegedly lied about her life in a social media post. The Philipino-born racer is one of the rising stars in the world of motorsports and recently claimed her first podium in the F1 Academy in Miami last month.

While speaking about her journey in motorsport, the McLaren junior driver told "The Beat Manila" last year, that she hailed from a middle-class background. Bustamante claimed that her father had to stop pursuing his dream of motorsport and chose to focus on making her a driver by working three jobs.

Recently on her social media post on TikTok, she wrote:

"Take it from a girl who pursued her F1 dreams and turned it into a reality when she was homeless at 16, barely surviving, having to work for food, couldn't take her braces out, begging everyone for a drive anywhere."

The post did not sit well with many fans on social media, who were left miffed with her comments and pointed out that she had a residence in Laguna and California and goes to university.

"Her family has property in laguna and california, that she hops to and from. she went to SOUTHVILLE and goes to ust. she is NOT middle class in the Philippines. its so hard to support her PLEASE i just want filo rep that isnt shitty"

One fan claimed that she wasn't homeless and started getting big sponsors when she was young.

"Homeless? She literally started her career with kart racing in the USA in 2015 at the age of 10. Her dad may have had to work 3 jobs before she started getting big sponsors but she wasn't homeless at all. She even said she came from a middle-class family here in the PH"

Bianca Bustamante has not responded to the allegations and the backlash to her social media posts as of yet.

McLaren junior shows her gratitude to the Woking-based team

Bianca Bustamante stated that she had grown a lot mentally and physically compared to last year. She also spoke about developing her skills with the Woking-based team since joining them at the beginning of 2024.

Speaking to Mirror, the 19-year-old said:

"Personally, I've had a lot of growth mentally, and physically. Having the chance to work with McLaren in the development program, I've had access to the amazing facility, working at MTC, training, and, of course, even having a sports psychologist to help me deal with pressure and having that mental stability throughout the race season, which is very, very important."

She reflected on her progression and claimed that she could progress further, adding:

"So, having all of those amounted to a P2 in Miami, all the hard work we've done off-season with testing, working with my team in ART. So, I think that we're going on the right path. We've made a lot of progression and we've shown it on track as well. So, I think the only way to go is up from here."

The McLaren junior continues her 2024 season where she is driving for ART Grand Prix and competing in F1 Academy. She currently stands fifth in the standings with 39 points and is a point behind Chambers in P4 after two rounds of action.