FORMULA 1 RISING STAR BIANCA BUSTAMENTE: I CANNOT FINANCIALLY AFFORD TO CRASH

Summary

Great Company with Jamie Laing – Episode Summary: "FORMULA 1 RISING STAR BIANCA BUSTAMENTE: I CANNOT FINANCIALLY AFFORD TO CRASH"

Release Date: July 1, 2025

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Introduction

In this inspiring episode of Great Company with Jamie Laing, host Jamie engages in a heartfelt conversation with Bianca Bustamante, a young and promising racing driver from the Philippines. Bianca's journey from humble beginnings to the competitive world of Formula One showcases her resilience, determination, and the profound impact of family support.

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Early Life and Introduction to Racing

Bianca Bustamante shared her earliest memories of racing, ignited by her father's unfulfilled dreams in motorsport. At the tender age of three, Bianca was introduced to go-karting, marking the beginning of her lifelong passion for racing.

Bianca Bustamante [14:12]: "My first ever memory as a kid was being at the track... I drove a go-kart for the first time at the age of three."

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Financial Struggles and Parental Support

Bianca's ascent in racing was heavily supported by her parents, who made significant sacrifices to fuel her dreams. Her father worked three jobs and sent money back home to ensure Bianca could pursue her career without financial hindrances.

Bianca Bustamante [13:26]: "My parents... loaned our house, sold anything they could... My dad would sell his liver if it meant that I could drive a formula car."

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Challenges in Motorsport

The high costs associated with motorsport posed significant challenges for Bianca and her family. From expensive racing suits and helmets to daily expenses like fuel and track fees, the financial burden was immense.

Bianca Bustamante [12:16]: "It's about, you know, 15 grand, depending on what car is. Every lap on average you spend maybe US$500 per lap."

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Impact of the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic was a pivotal moment for Bianca. At 14, she faced the potential derailment of her racing career due to quarantine restrictions and lost sponsorship opportunities, leading her to temporarily retire from racing.

Bianca Bustamante [40:22]: "I went through a huge phase of depression and denial... I was retired for three years."

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Mentorship and Return to Racing

A turning point came when Bianca connected with Darrell Young, a seasoned racing driver who became her mentor and manager. Darrell's personal investment, both financially and emotionally, enabled Bianca to recommence her racing career.

Bianca Bustamante [46:56]: "Darrell is my lucky star... He funded my racing career out of his own pocket, paying for tuition, medical, and my racing license."

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Mindset and Overcoming Fear

Bianca delved into the psychological aspects of racing, emphasizing the fine line between fear and motivation. Initially driven by the fear of failure and crashing, she learned to balance this with a healthier perspective on self-worth and performance.

Bianca Bustamante [27:22]: "Never relate your self-worth to your career... I have to never relate your self-worth to your career."

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Insights on Formula One and Racing

Discussing the complexities of Formula One, Bianca highlighted the intricate teamwork and strategic planning behind each race. She underscored the importance of both the driver's skill and the car's performance.

Bianca Bustamante [09:12]: "To be a great Formula One driver, you need to adapt in any situation... The car does 60% of the job, but to finish it, it comes down to the driver."

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Moving to the UK and Cultural Differences

Relocating to the UK presented Bianca with cultural and linguistic challenges. Adjusting to different social norms, weather conditions, and communication styles required significant adaptability.

Bianca Bustamante [53:44]: "I had to constantly repeat myself... People speak English, but I still don't understand it."

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Personal Reflections and Philosophy

Bianca emphasized the importance of building her own brand to secure sponsorships, reducing the financial burden on her family. She also shared her evolving understanding of self-worth, moving away from tying it solely to her racing success.

Bianca Bustamante [27:21]: "Never relate your self-worth to your career... If I walk away now from racing, that is the biggest takeaway."

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Training and Physical Preparation

Maintaining peak physical condition is crucial in racing. Bianca detailed her rigorous training regimen, which includes daily gym sessions to build the necessary strength to withstand high G-forces during races.

Bianca Bustamante [37:49]: "I'm at the gym every day, three hours a day... It's a day job for me, like training."

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Future Aspirations

Bianca is determined to ascend the ranks of Formula One, aiming to secure a position as one of the few female drivers in the sport. Her ultimate goal is to honor her family's sacrifices and inspire future generations.

Bianca Bustamante [32:48]: "It's something I was so willing to bleed for, and it just became my whole world."

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Quick-Fire Questions

Towards the end of the episode, Jamie posed a series of quick questions to Bianca, revealing her personal interests and reflections:

• Favorite Formula One Driver: Niki Lauda and currently Oscar Piastri.
• What Makes Her Smile: Wearing oversized clothes her parents bought her.
• Guilty Pleasure: Snacking on prawns.
• What Excites Her: Planning and having something to look forward to.

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Conclusion

Jamie and producer Jemima expressed their admiration for Bianca's journey, highlighting her as a beacon of inspiration and determination. They encouraged listeners to follow her rise in the racing world.

Jemima: "She's very inspiring, but very infectious and kind of magnetic. Her energy is so bright."

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Key Takeaways

• Resilience and Determination: Bianca's story underscores the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity.
• Family Support: The unwavering support of Bianca's parents was pivotal in her racing career.
• Mental Fortitude: Balancing fear with motivation is crucial for success in high-pressure environments like Formula One.
• Cultural Adaptability: Moving to a new country with different cultural norms requires significant adjustment and resilience.
• Personal Growth: Bianca's journey reflects a deepening understanding of self-worth beyond professional success.

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Notable Quotes

• Bianca Bustamante [09:12]: "To be a great Formula One driver, you need to adapt in any situation."
• Bianca Bustamante [27:21]: "Never relate your self-worth to your career."
• Bianca Bustamante [53:44]: "People speak English, but I still don't understand it."

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Final Thoughts

Bianca Bustamante's narrative is a testament to the power of passion, family, and unwavering commitment. As she navigates the challenging terrains of motorsport and cultural integration, her story serves as a powerful inspiration for aspiring athletes and individuals overcoming personal struggles.

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For more inspiring stories and in-depth conversations, subscribe to Great Company with Jamie Laing on your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

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[Jamie Laing]

Hello everyone. My name is Jamie Laing and this is great company. Well, hello Jemima.

[Jemima]

Well, hello Jaime.

[Jamie Laing]

Welcome back to the podcast, you wonderful listeners.

[Jemima]

Our wonderful listeners are Als.

[Jamie Laing]

Hoot, hoot, hoot.

[Jemima]

We've not hooted in a while, we.

[Jamie Laing]

Just hooted them, which I quite like. So if you are an OG lister, you know who we are. If you're new to the podcast, my name is Jamie, I'm the host of the show and this is Jemima, who is our wonderful producer and we like.

[Jemima]

To take a little second at the top of the show to tell you.

[Jamie Laing]

About what's coming up, what's coming up and any notes. Well, the notes are that you weren't actually in on this episode.

[Jemima]

No, I was not here. I was on holiday. And so lovely producer Ewan. So if anyone ever listens to newlyweds, nearlyweds, nearly parents, whatever it is called at the moment, I can't keep up with each other.

[Jamie Laing]

Nearly parents. There you go. You've nailed it.

[Jemima]

Anyway, producer Ewan stepped in for this one.

[Jamie Laing]

He stepped in, and it was an amazing episode because we have someone called Bianca Bustamante, who is a young racing driver from the Philippines. Yeah, we have sort of been following her for a little bit, and we were really interested to get her on. And when she came on, she didn't disappoint because her story, from growing up in the Philippines in pretty much poverty to now being on the racing circuit to potentially getting into Formula one and being one of the only Formula one female drivers on the circuit will be absolutely incredible. Yeah, she's a force to be reckoned with. And this episode is great to hear about resilience, to show what hard work can really do, what having that North Star of why that really counts and knowing exactly where you're going.

[Jemima]

It's also a really good episode for anyone who's got interested in Formula one, as I feel so many people are a little bit obsessed with it.

[Jamie Laing]

You're hosting Silverstone, I'm hosting Silverstone going up, which is really exciting.

[Jemima]

And I had no idea that Formula one drivers. The impact of going that fast is on your body.

[Jamie Laing]

Oh, the G force.

[Jemima]

The G force. And, like, you have to strengthen your neck and you have to, like, they are so strong, but small and compact.

[Jamie Laing]

Small, compact, strong.

[Jemima]

If you're interested in that as well. Do you know what? Also if you're not interested in that, it's absolutely fascinating.

[Jamie Laing]

This is a really amazing. It's an insane episode. And what out for this person, Bianca, because she's going to go to the top. Mark my words, you'll see her at the top. So be the first to listen to this, enjoy it, and then be a fan of hers.

[Jemima]

Yeah.

[Jamie Laing]

All right, here we go. Enjoy this episode of Great Company. Before we start.

[Jemima]

Oh, such a tease.

[Jamie Laing]

Before we start.

[Jemima]

We almost got there.

[Jamie Laing]

Before we start, remember to please subscribe to the show. It does absolute wonders. And also, if you haven't already, follow us on social media and you send us an email. Greatcompanyampleproductions.co.uk okay. Enjoy this episode of Great Company with Bianca Bustamante.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Hi, everyone. I'm Bianja Bustamante. I'm a Filipino racing driver and I'm in great company, but I'm also a great company.

[Jamie Laing]

Bianca, I heard that apparently you don't have your driver's license.

[Bianca Bustamante]

No. Well, well, let me explain. Okay, so not in the UK, not yet, but when I was 17, that was, like, when I first officially moved out of, like, My home in the Philippines and before I turned 17, got my driver's license, I was like, finally be driving in the streets. And then I got a call be like, yeah, you need to race. So you need to move out of Philippines and live abroad. So I still haven't driven like a proper car on the road yet.

[Jamie Laing]

Should I be honest about my driving history? Just quickly. Okay, get ready for this. This is going to shock you. So I don't know if you have the same in the Philippines, but we have something called a theory test.

[Bianca Bustamante]

A theory that's like the practical. And then you've got like on paper, written examination.

[Jamie Laing]

Okay, so we don't have a written exam. Thank God.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Oh, okay.

[Jamie Laing]

We, we don't have that. We just have like a. We have like a multiple choice, like thing that we just basically you pick a B or C or D or whatever. Since I was 18 years old, I've booked that 70 times. 70, you joking? I booked it 70 times. Okay. Finally passed my driving test. I was like, I'm on the streets. Here we go. Watch out, Rhodes. And I got six points in my first year. So I got my whole license taken away.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Taken away everything.

[Jamie Laing]

I have to redo my theory test. I have to redo my driving test.

[Bianca Bustamante]

What were you doing? Nothing.

[Jamie Laing]

I was going 26 and a 20. I mean, that is obviously illegal.

[Bianca Bustamante]

I don't promote driving fast or above the speed limit as a race and driving joke.

[Jamie Laing]

Okay. Exactly. It's amazing. Your. Your story is honestly incredible and it really is, it's super inspirational. And I was like, I said, I was saying to you, so many people I've been spe about that you were coming on and they were just so excited. What you represent, what you're doing. It's. And I want to get into all of that before we get into that. Right. Pretend I'm a complete novice in like Formula one. And in that space, explain to me what it is. For anyone listening who have no idea about Formula one or race driving or anything like that.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Driving in circles. Pretty much that's it.

[Jamie Laing]

All right, next question. Okay, here we go.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Driving, like donuts and like different weird shaped pizzas. That's pretty much it. Yeah.

[Jamie Laing]

But the thing which I find so interesting about it is that there are people when you watch, like drive, survive is a big thing at the moment, right?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yeah.

[Jamie Laing]

And that's what I think the sort of popularity of like, especially Formula one is like risen because people would just watch it on like a Sunday or whenever it was. But now you can watch on Netflix and people see the ins and the outs of what's going on. I didn't realize the tactics that go into racing, honestly.

[Bianca Bustamante]

I think that's one of like the common misconception about racing is just, it is just driving in circles. Well, that's, well, that's the main ploy of it all. But actually the amount of theoretical and thinking and planning and strategizing to actually, you know, win a race, that's a technical bit. Like, I think that's why I'm able to share my sport with so many of the people right now in my generations, because I drive to survive. Like, I no longer have to explain, you know, the technical bits of it because you get to see it in person, you get to see it on tv and it's so amazing. Like for example, in a race weekend, we go through such a roller coaster of emotions and not just emotions emotions, but of events as well. You go from like practice to quality to the actual race. And you think about all these different variables. Like when you watch a Formula one race, you see the car and the driver, but you don't see the teams of people behind IT. There's about 100 to 200 engineers, like graduate from Cambridge, Harvard, MIT, all different top schools, literally thinking alike and literally working as one unit to make sure that that car finishes first. And so many, like decision making comes into making that happen. You know, you can think of. It's like I related to playing golf. You know, with golf you think it's so easy to just swing a bat and like hit the ball, right? But then there's wind change, there's humidity and there's the grass and there's. It's. It's very similar to racing. Like you think of for example, a safety car happens or it starts raining, you know, you have to then think of plan A, B, C, D, E, F, G. And it's like so many things can go wrong and it's so mathematical that a group of people needs to work together to make it happen.

[Jamie Laing]

So how much is down to, in any sort of racing is down to the sort of quality of the driver and the quality of the car.

[Bianca Bustamante]

This is a, it's quite controversial topic. I mean, obviously to be world champion you need to have both. In very rare occasions does a driver become world champion in a not dominant car? So you think of drivers like for example, obviously now our reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, he didn't have the fastest car last season. I'd like to say that definitely not. I'd like to say McLaren had a brilliant car, but because Max was just so ahead of everyone and is just in a different level of his driving, his capacity, you know, I feel like to be a great Formula one driver, you need to have the capacity to be able to adapt in any situation, any given situation. And Max did that so brilliantly, even though his car was not the best. So I would love to say that, you know, the car does 60% of the job, but to finish it, it comes down to the driver.

[Jamie Laing]

Wow. Really?

[Bianca Bustamante]

100%.

[Jamie Laing]

And a lot of it is down to risk taking, right?

[Bianca Bustamante]

It's risk. It's also calculating risk. It's also knowing when to take risk. Because there are times where it can cost you the whole championship. It can cost you a race, or it can cost you money as well. You know, obviously, if you crash, it's quite expensive.

[Jamie Laing]

But you're 20 years old, right?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yes.

[Jamie Laing]

You have been racing since you were six.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yes.

[Jamie Laing]

Take me all the way back. Okay. I want. I want to know and I want every little bit of detail.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Oh, my gosh. I don't think an hour is enough.

[Jamie Laing]

Yeah, sorry, we've already been an hour. Now we have to go back. No, but I do, because it's. It's, you know, from growing up in the Philippines, you know, where, where racing, you know, it's, as you sort of spoken about it, it's kind of like a sort of European sport in lots.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Of ways, very Western sport. You know, we would have a saying in the Philippines. It's, you know, it's for the privileged people, group of people in the world that, you know, I, as a Filipino, unfortunately, you know, we weren't. No one really is wealthy enough. Because I think that's one thing that you kind of learn as you go along in motorsport is that there's always going to be someone richer than you in the sport. It's hard to compete with someone that has infinite wealth. And that's literally the picture of motorsport. It's like infinite wealth.

[Jamie Laing]

But, but, but break that down for me. Why does wealth really help in the sport?

[Bianca Bustamante]

You know, to drive, you've already needed to spend money on a race suit that costs thousands of dollars, a helmet that cost thousands of dollars, your mechanic that you pay for, your engineer that you pay for, a car that you have to rent on a daily basis. It's about, you know, 15, ballpark of 15 grand, depending on what car is. And then you consume tires, you consume fuel, you consume. Obviously you have to pay for the track. So the mileage on the car, every lap on average you spend maybe US$500 per lap. If you, if you add, if you add all in the expenses that you'd have to pay for, for literally one lap.

[Jamie Laing]

So what you need to do in order to succeed in this industry is you need to find someone who supports you, values you, who is wealthy, who will sponsor you and basically bet that you are going to succeed so they can help pay for your clothes, pay for your kit, pay for your car, pay for your laps, pay for your training.

[Bianca Bustamante]

100% it. Racing is like, is like, it's like casino is. Gambling is, isn't it? It is, it is portrayed in a very beautiful way because we are, I'm very passionate about racing. My parents were passionate. They were die hard fans of motorsport. That's why they gambled everything. Like my parents, you know, loaned off our house. They sold anything, they sold anything that they could. I mean I love my parents for it. It's like it's the, it's the, it's the Filipino in them, you know. They wanted me to have to live my dreams like I always say as a joke but my dad would sell his liver if it meant that I could drive a formula car. Like it's just I, and I'm so thankful for them and that is the reason why I'm here today. It really is because I had parents who really gambled everything just so I could be here.

[Jamie Laing]

So you're six years old, right? Six years old. You know when I was six years old I was eating bark from a tree. Like I was not thinking about getting a, you know, a go kart or a car or thinking about motorsport in any way where what drove you? What is that moment, how it's a unique thing to fall in love with and you know, and sort of generalizing here but you know, especially as sort of a young girl to fall in love with motorsport.

[Bianca Bustamante]

I, I picked it up from my dad. He, to me, I'd call him, you know, a frustrated racing driver. He dreamt of being a formula car driver, dreamt of, you know, making it to F1 but didn't have the money nor the talent maybe.

[Jamie Laing]

Hope he's not listening.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yeah, I love you dad, but he was so damn passionate. My dad is the only person in the world that can live and breathe motorsport and talk about it. 247 in the dining table we sleep before anything we talk about racing. And I just saw it so early on in like in my life. Like my first ever memory of like being like a child was not Even like running around and breaking like a leg or breaking an arm or, or doing something stupid. It's literally being at the track. And my dad already got me this tailor made racing suit and he's put me in a go kart. And I was 3 years old, so I drove a go kart for the first time at the age of three. I don't even think it was safe at that time, to be honest.

[Jamie Laing]

Is that legal? I don't know if that's legal.

[Bianca Bustamante]

I don't think so.

[Jamie Laing]

Just put you in there and just said, go on, let's go.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Exactly. It was like I drove like, I mean, I didn't go very fast. It was a 60cc. Like, it's still not that little.

[Jamie Laing]

It's still 60cc. I was driving a 90cc motorbike maybe when I was like six, I remember.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yeah, it's, it's, it has some decent power to it. I remember like, it's been a few times, but it's toughened me up surely. Like, like my, my mom always told me that, like, she was really, she was certain that like, I was never gonna be feminine because of just how boyish I was growing up. Like, obviously I grew up in a racetrack where it's always been like boys left and right. And like, I always tried to like fit in, obviously, so I wouldn't be picked on. So I'd like wear a snap bag. I'd wear like baggy clothes. And my mom was like, oh, she's so, she's so masculine. I hope she wears makeup one day. And here I am today, Mom.

[Jamie Laing]

Oh my God. But that's interesting, right? So you, you fell in love with it from this early age. You get into the car, you start doing it and then you obviously you've got the, you've got a big combination there, right? Which is, which happens with anything, which is where you love it. And you also have a talent for it. And that's like a big thing. I think sometimes when parents have a real love for a sport, whether it's, I don't know, running or cricket or football or whatever it is, sometimes what happens is the kids are kind of pushed into it, but maybe don't have the love for it. You had the love as well as the talent.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Racing is my first love. It's like Happy Valentine's, everyone. But racing was my first love. I, it was like, you know, it's like I am also very passionate about other things. Like, I love drawing and being creative, but it's like when I draw, I Do it when I'm happy. I do it when I'm in a state of mind, but with tracing, I do it sad, I do it mad, I do it angry. It's something that I was so willing to bleed for, and it just became. It was my whole world. Like, it was my everything. Like, I didn't really know anything else. The earliest memory I had as a kid was being in a car. My favorite memory is at the track. My favorite moment with me and my dad, my mom is at the track or, you know, racing or competing somewhere. Everything about me revolved around motorsport. And it's the best thing about me as well. It's the thing I love about me is the fact that I race cars and I go fast in circles for a living.

[Jamie Laing]

What are you, an only child?

[Bianca Bustamante]

I've got a brother, so there's two of us.

[Jamie Laing]

Is your brother into racing?

[Bianca Bustamante]

My brother isn't interested, unfortunately. So I think that was also one of the earliest struggles that we really had. And that's why I always felt guilty about racing because it is such a privileged sport. And my brother, he's always been in and out of hospital since he was a young. Since we were young, to be honest. He's got a heart problem and he's also got autism and down syndrome. So it was so selfish of me to really pursue the sport. And every single time I felt guilty of getting in a car and driving and, you know, instead of, like, helping my brother out or being there for my brother or financially, you know, supporting my brother more. But at the same time, it inspired me so much that I was like, I've got no other option but to succeed because I've got my parents relying on me, I've got my brother relying on me. You know, I have to, like, support them, obviously, when I grow older. So I think that has been always been my key motivation. It's like staying in the Philippines is called, like, a breadwinner. When you're like the breadwinner of the family, you have no option. You really have to succeed. You gotta do whatever it takes.

[Jamie Laing]

That is the hard thing. You. You spoke about your parents and your dad. You know, from what I've read and understood, is that your dad lived away and he worked three jobs.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yeah.

[Jamie Laing]

To help pay for everything that went on. Can you talk about that a little bit?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yeah, honestly, I. You know, I. My parents, like, I. I always speak so highly of them because, you know, they made sacrifices that I don't think even I could make. Honestly, it is insane. It is out of this world. I always say that, you know, my mom, she's the strongest woman I know. She's been my role model because she had to be both a mother and a father to me. She had to, you know, do the difficult conversation. She had to drive me everywhere. She had to cook the breakfast and the dinner. She was everything my mom. To me, when I imagine her, she's like everything to everyone. And obviously my dad, you know, having the sacrifice, making the sacrifice of living so far away from his family or far away from me and my brother and, you know, working three jobs, like, it's. It's so funny because he'd obviously work, you know, seven days a week, you know, and three jobs, and he'd always go straight to Western Union after a week of work just to send money back home to Philippines and make ends meet. And to me, that's the earliest memory. And that's why I've always been. I've always been open about talking about the struggles because they were. They were very real. Like, you know, I've. I've heard my parents fight about money and fight about paying off debts and loans. You know, obviously, if a race doesn't go well and I have a crash, that's another extra money that they had to pay for. And, you know, just all these things that, to me, as it was my childhood, you know, other kids childhood were like running around, playing with kids and everything, but to me, it was. I faced the difficulties very early on, and my parents never hid it from me, which is something I'm so grateful for because it's toughened me up in multiple ways.

[Jamie Laing]

Do you think it does. Do you think it toughens you up as a kid where you just. Because you realize that life isn't all roses and sunshine.

[Bianca Bustamante]

No, and it's not.

[Jamie Laing]

And it really isn't.

[Bianca Bustamante]

It isn't. And something I'm so, so grateful for. You know, I. You know, I didn't have the privilege of believing in fairy tales, so I just had to make my own. And. And I think because of that, it's allowed me to be so realistic of viewing things and, you know, and being so okay with not being okay and being so okay with failing. I think that's one of the great lessons that I learned from my parents. Obviously, they were my role model. They, I. They were, to me, my pillar. And they were. They taught me so much. And one of the main things that taught me is, you know, failing. It's such a tab. It's a. It's a very taboo topic. To talk about and on social media or even with other people, you know, like, talking about not getting a job or failing an exam or not getting this interview and stuff like that. And it's something that is so, like, taboo to talk about. But my parents, we tabled everything, you know, after a bad race or after, you know, difficult moments or stuff like this. We always talked about it, and I was always treated as an adult, and not because I didn't have a choice, but because I needed to. From a sport. Because we couldn't afford to just do it as a hobby. We couldn't afford to just go have fun, enjoy. Like, for me, that wasn't my reality, the fruit. The truth was that it wasn't just for fun. Like, it wasn't just for fun. It was something that.

[Jamie Laing]

It was life.

[Bianca Bustamante]

It was life. It was a beginning of a career that I would embark on. And my parents told me that if this is something that you're just gonna one. One day throw away and one day get over with and, you know, fall out of love with, then we can't take that risk.

[Jamie Laing]

There's so many things here that I want to unpack, which I find so interesting. Right. Which is. Firstly, the failing thing is really important. I'm so. It's. I think that we, as. As humans, we don't realize failure until we, as we get a little bit older, mostly. And your one also, Bianca, which is so interesting is your. Your failings are so. In the present, if you failed, it sort of. It was a. It was on your family and everything. That's a. That's a lot of pressure to have. Because if you crash in the car, then that's money that has to be spent.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yes.

[Jamie Laing]

So you physically, literally couldn't go to a race and crash.

[Bianca Bustamante]

No.

[Jamie Laing]

Because if you crash.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Couldn't afford. We couldn't.

[Jamie Laing]

You couldn't afford. You literally could physically, literally couldn't afford to crash.

[Bianca Bustamante]

And that is something that, you know, that constantly, my parents would tell me, like, you know, use your brain and, you know, make, you know, don't take risky moves. Be smart. Use your brain. We can't afford to crash. You know, we can't afford to buy spare parts. We can't afford to do this and that. And it's something that I've always been thankful for because, like I said, my parents were tough on me. My parents were very strict, first of all, because I was that breadwinner of the family, you know, I had to be. Even though I wasn't the eldest, I had to be the eldest and really show my parents that maturity. And because I was pursuing something that is, you know, difficult, where failure is so, it's so inevitable in racing. You lose more than you win, I think in any sport. So my parents showed me that when I lost, they would never sugarcoat it. They'd never be like, you did a great job, you did your best, you did this, you did that. You know, whenever I'd lose, first of all, they'd be my parents and console me and tell me they love me. And I think that's so important where they still showed me love even though I lost, to make me realize that losing doesn't make them love me less. It just meant that I had to go through failing and I had to go through and learn from failure. So they'd love me and then show me, you know, my mistakes. They'd show me, they'd sit me down and tell me thou things I could have done differently, things I can work on for the next race. And they were very, very practical people. And I think that's a common mentality you have when you don't have the luxury to mess around. You don't have the luxury to have another shot. Like, my parents would always tell me that I have to drive every race as if it's my last. And then I realized actually as I grew up that that mentality has gotten me so far. But it's one of the main things that is holding me back now as I'm older.

[Jamie Laing]

Explain that.

[Bianca Bustamante]

And, and that is one of the greatest relation realization I've had in like the recent years. Like, obviously I was a development driver from McLaren, so I've had the amazing opportunity to learn from the best in the sport. You know, learning from McLaren, the engineers and everyone, the drivers, Lando, Oscar, people that have made it in the sport. And you know, one of the greatest things they taught me is to never fear failing. To me, I was driven because I was afraid to crash, because I was afraid to lose, because my parents, because of my family, because of this and that. So my main motivator, you know, we've got two things that motivate us. It's, you know, it's the fight or flight thing. It's the pleasure and fear that sometimes get interlinked. And to me, I wanted to make my parents proud and happy and make myself happy too by obviously winning that I would use fear as a main motivator. And as I got older, I realized how unhappy that kind of made me.

[Jamie Laing]

Wow.

[Bianca Bustamante]

And like I said, it's Gotten me so far because of that and now it's only getting me so far because of it as well. And one of the main things I've had to learn, you know, the past years is, is actually to really not relate my self worth to my success.

[Jamie Laing]

Yeah.

[Bianca Bustamante]

I think to me that is, will be the biggest learning, the biggest takeaway I can ever take in motorsport. If I walk away now from racing, that is the biggest takeaway that I will bring with me until like the last day, until my last day here in this planet is to really never relate your self worth to your career. And to me, because I was so personally invested, because my parents invested their whole being, their whole everything to the sport that I always felt like I had to as well. I felt like if I lose, I lose my dignity, I lose my worth, I'm worthless and this and that and so on. Because that's just how I thought, that's just how I grew up in, that's the environment I grew up in. Because we couldn't afford it because we were, we weren't fortunate enough.

[Jamie Laing]

Can you say that? Because what. That's in the least patronizing way and please don't take it. That's so mature of you because the fear is driving you, right? The fear is, that's what is making you succeed, but that's also what's holding you back. Which is such a good point. Right? Because actually you have to not fear failing.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yeah.

[Jamie Laing]

So fear is really great because you're scared of like you don't want to fail there.

[Bianca Bustamante]

I want to do so well. So I don't want like, like exactly. That is so it, like for me, yeah, I get it. I succeeded because I didn't want to lose.

[Jamie Laing]

Poker is an interesting game, right. Because with poker, the way real professional poker players work is that they're not afraid of losing the money. So that's why they win is because they don't actually care about losing the money. That's just part of it. They actually, they let themselves be free. And the more free you can be in the car and not actually fear the failing, the more you take those risks, the more you push it, the more those little hairline things get better. Right.

[Bianca Bustamante]

100%. Like you can never perform to your full capabilities and abilities if you've got even a slither of a thought of crashing, you know, that is just, that is the whole concept.

[Jamie Laing]

How do you block that out?

[Bianca Bustamante]

That's the whole concept of racing. Like I don't know how to explain it even in words, but it's something that you can only experience when you drive. You're going in speeds of 280 kilometers per hour. You're literally dancing with the car. You're so close to the wall, to the edge, to grass, you're making micro corrections. You're dancing. It is. And. And then all of a sudden you just think of, oh, I'm scared I'm going to crash and I'm scared I'm going to damage the car. You lose it and you're in the wall immediately. And this is something that has happened to me where I lost concentration because I was scared that I was going to crash. And then I did end up crashing.

[Jamie Laing]

You sort of manifested itself in the car.

[Bianca Bustamante]

It is because you. You are what you think in the car. That's why it is such a mental battle. Like, Motorsport is maybe 40% physical and the rest is all mental. It's such a mental game. It's the pressure, it's the fear, it's the angst, it's the anxiety, it's the people, it's the crowd watching you, cheering for you, booing. It is intense.

[Jamie Laing]

When you sit in the car and you said, 280, how fast does it go?

[Bianca Bustamante]

So I drive a GV3, which can get close to 270, 280 kilometers per hour.

[Jamie Laing]

Okay, just give it to. When you sit in the car and you have the helmet on. Okay. And you're going for it. Right. And I'm gonna sit there with you. Okay?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Okay.

[Jamie Laing]

How quick are things coming? Because when I go on the motorway and I. And I hit that 60 miles an hour, things are coming quick, and I'm constantly thinking about crashing. I'm like, oh, God, please don't go. How? Try and explain it to someone who has me there. What is it? What is it? Like, how fast are things coming? How do you sit? Do you see it in slow motion? How does it work?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Honestly, you go so fast that you become the scenery. You join the scenery. Like, I think that's something I can only explain. Like, you know, when you're driving a smooth Sunday drive, calm Sunday drive, you get to enjoy the surroundings, the greens, the scenery. But when you drive a race car, you become the scenery, you join it. It's like you're going so fast that sometimes your eyes can't even keep up, that it's all very instinctual. Like, racing is instinct. It's either you have it or you don't. That's. To a certain extent, yes. Like, that's why there's people that are just so gifted in the sport, like generational talent, which I'm not. I'm not generational, I'm not a Senna, I'm not Schumacher, no nothing. Because those people are so gifted in many different ways. For example, one of my heroes, Niki Lauda, he's my all time hero and he's always been known for having. It's a quote in the movie. So it's a quote. It didn't come from me for having a great ass that can feel anything in a car. So that's. He said that, not me. And that is such a gift. Because when you're driving a car and you're experiencing so many different things, you're driving fast, you're driving a straight line, you're cornering, you're experiencing lateral G, you're turning the wheel, you're braking, you're trailing into the corner, apexing. You reach the apex, the middle point of the corner, you start accelerating as you're getting off the brakes, and you start unwinding the steering wheel. It's everything. It's the hand and eye coordination, it's your foot, it's your fingers, you're shifting, obviously, you're speaking with your engineer on the radio. And then you have to feel what's happening in the car. Like, that's why it goes hand in hand. A great car can only be developed by a great driver. And Nikki Lada was one of those drivers that can feel anything in the car. Like, he could literally be like, going into a corner, understeer, oversteer. Oh, that's because of this. That's because of that. He was so. He was so meticulate about the finer details about what he felt. Because he can feel a lot of things. Like, for example, when you tell me you're going fast, right? And you're like, when you reach like 60 miles per hour, you're like, okay, I need to slow down. Because the car is like feeling light. It's like, I'm. I'm going fast. Like, your first instinct was to slow down, but driver's first instinct is to go even faster. So then you kind of have that, like, thought process and like, how do I go faster? When you're turning a corner, it's like, it's so much geometry into it as well. There's so much math into it and physics. It's actually crazy.

[Jamie Laing]

Have you ever had a bad crash?

[Bianca Bustamante]

I. I've always been fortunate. I have somehow, you know, I've crashed here and there, but I've never had a bad one. That Knock on wood. Yes, knock on wood. I've never. I've never really had the bad one. And I. And people tell me that after you have that one big one, it's kind of like.

[Jamie Laing]

It's changes you.

[Bianca Bustamante]

It changes you a little bit. Like, it's like, oh, shoot, I'm not as invincible as I thought I was. I'm not, you know, and. And I. That's why it takes. Again, that's her mentality, to accept that there is that chance you can crash, but to not, you know, to not hide away from it, but to not let it linger in your mind, because then there's a bigger chance that it can happen. So there's that fear factor. Obviously, everyone fears of getting injured or crashing or getting hurt, right? But you think of racing, there's always risk. Like you. I think one of the biggest crashes was actually in Silverstone. I think it was Lewis Hamilton. Oh, wait, no, it was Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen going into Cops. I think it was like one of, like, the strongest crash impact in history of Formula One. And it was like close to like 51G.

[Jamie Laing]

What is that? What does that mean to normally, Like.

[Bianca Bustamante]

I don't have the capacity to explain how much.

[Jamie Laing]

That's G4. So it's like 51.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yeah, it's 51.

[Jamie Laing]

Because you're going straight past the suddenly stopping like that.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yeah. So basically, that's what kill you. It's not the crash. It's going from 100 to zero. That kills you. That. That rate of deceleration kills you. And, you know, that's why you think of airplanes. They don't land and then stop immediately. They have a rolling time of when they just kind of let the car or let the plane keep going, keep going, and then slowly come to a stop and you think of crashing. That's when you go from. In crazy speeds. Then all of a sudden, nothing. Zero. And so I think that was the strongest impact of a crash written in Formula one.

[Jamie Laing]

I mean, the mental strain of a race is huge. But there's also the physical. How tiring is it to do a race? Is it tiring? It is usually. So I couldn't do it.

[Bianca Bustamante]

You're a rugby player. Surely you've.

[Jamie Laing]

When I was 17.

[Bianca Bustamante]

I'll say that before I say anything else and be like, no, but it's. It's. It's crazy. But you can see different physiques from different athletes. You know, rugby players, you know this. They're built.

[Jamie Laing]

They're big.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yeah, they're big. They're built, they're strong, they're muscular. They're like. It's this different type of strength compared to racing. Like, you'd see F1 drivers. F1 drivers. Weight range from like 65 to 79 or 80 kg kgs.

[Jamie Laing]

So quite light.

[Bianca Bustamante]

That's very light. That is so light, yet so strong. You can see drivers that can lift the same weight as bodybuilders, but they're like half their size. Because we've got so much compact, like muscle and lean muscle. Because we have to be. When you're fighting through G force, we get stronger. Not from lifting, we get stronger from driving the car and withstanding the G force. It's like, you know, G force means it's like you're walking around like the planet with like carrying like maybe a 30kg backpack. Like, that's what we constantly have to do in the car. It's literally it. So we're being pushed to the side, front and back. And like. Like imagine someone constantly pushing you like this.

[Jamie Laing]

Your neck muscles, which have to be so strong.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yes.

[Jamie Laing]

No, you don't. I'm just saying, like, that's because I'm just thinking about your head and the way that you spin and just constantly moving. So that means you have to be in the gym every day? Pretty much.

[Bianca Bustamante]

I'm at the gym. Yeah. Every day. Obviously, if I'm not traveling or driving, I. I train every day. It is. It has been. I honestly find it peace. Sometimes it's for the body. Most of the time it's for the mind. Yeah, agreed. When I'm in the gym, I'm just like. I feel so strong. I feel like I can conquer anything. So I'm normally at the gym every day, three hours a day. So it's been like. It's pretty much like a day job for me, like training. So. Yeah.

[Jamie Laing]

You'Re a real inspiration. No, you are. And I. And I. I really want you to know that because I. Because I really do. Because what your. Your story and your maturity and your drive, it's. It's pretty special.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Okay, close your eyes. Exhale. Feel your body relax. And let go of whatever you're carrying today.

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[Bianca Bustamante]

Hi there. Did you find everything okay?

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[Bianca Bustamante]

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[Bianca Bustamante]

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[Bianca Bustamante]

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[Jamie Laing]

Hello, everyone. We're Jamie and Sophie. You may remember us from Newlyweds and then Newlyweds.

[Sophie]

But now, guys, things are about to get even wilder as we take on our biggest adventure yet.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Becoming parents.

[Jamie Laing]

Yeah, that's right. Newlyweds is now Nearly Parents. And we're bringing you the same honest, heartwarming takes on our journey to parenthood. I guess.

[Sophie]

Join us as we find out what it really means to become a family while trying not to kill each other.

[Jamie Laing]

Get ready for Nearly Parents, your favorite new podcast. Was there ever a point when you nearly gave up racing when you thought it wasn't going to happen?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yeah. Oh, 100%. Like, I gone through, obviously, my fair share of, you know, slump. You know, I was. I was depressed and everything even. Were you 100? Yeah. And this was actually during the pandemic.

[Jamie Laing]

So how old were you been then? I was 16.

[Bianca Bustamante]

14.

[Jamie Laing]

14.

[Bianca Bustamante]

I was 14 during the pandemic. I was a baby. Yeah, 14, turning 15. So that was during the pandemic. And that was like my last year of junior karting. So I should have. I got a free drive. Everything sponsored by factory teams to drive for. To drive for Asia because I'd won the junior karting title the previous year. So coming into the next year, I was supposed to be sponsored. Everything. We wouldn't have to pay a single penny. We just would just have to cover flights and accommodation, obviously, food. Then I read on the news that there was this outbreak in China and we'd have to go through quarantine. And then obviously, I knew to myself that there's a huge chance I might not be raised in this year, which that, to me is so detrimental in my career. If I miss a year, I might never get back at it again because we didn't have the money. It wasn't like we would just, you know, it wasn't like my dad would just swipe a credit card and I can race again. You know, that took months and days of conversation of talking to people, begging them if they can sponsor me. You know, I was and then all of it down drain because of the pandemic. Something completely out of my control and out of anyone's control. You know, I'm still fortunate enough that I didn't lose any of my close relatives to, you know, to Covid or to. During the pandemic. So I still classify myself as very lucky. But at the same time, I had so much hatred during that period, you know, that I was telling myself that I did everything I could. I drove, I smiled, I talked. I did everything I could to make it. And still it was taken away from me just like that. And I couldn't even fight. I had, like, I had no fight in me. So obviously I went through a huge phase of depression and denial, of questioning I don't deserve it. I'm so unlucky. You know, if I was. If I was, you know, if I came from a wealthy family, this wouldn't have happened. If I was in Europe, then it would have been okay and all those things.

[Jamie Laing]

And, and that's hard to accept as a kid as well.

[Bianca Bustamante]

It is. It's hard. Especially at that time. I was. I was 15, 14, 15. I obviously, I speak now with so much knowledge, and I look upon. I look back on myself with, you know, with a smile, knowing that, oh, she didn't know it. She didn't know it then. But at that time, I took it to heart. I was like, this is it, this is it. This is the end of the line for me. It's all over to the point where, you know, I spoke to my parents, told them that I want to stop, you know, trying for it. Even if next year, the pandemic, you know, eases off and we can go back racing and I don't want to try anymore. I've lost that fight, that fight in me. I told my parents that. So I was retired for. For three years. I wasn't racing and. Yeah, I wasn't racing for. For two and a half years. I was focusing on studies. I was graduating. I, you know, was going into college. I. That's why I actually took stem. I took science, technology, engineering and mathematics because I wanted to be an engineer and hopefully one day be at the track, not as a driver, but maybe an engineer.

[Jamie Laing]

That's amazing.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yeah, I was like, full on. I was working, I was, like, studying, making sure that I could get into the top uni. Like, I was trying to go for UC Berkeley in America.

[Jamie Laing]

On a scholarship.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yeah, on a scholarship.

[Jamie Laing]

Because they're expensive.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yeah, very expensive. So I did. I had the grades for it. And everything. And then, and one day I just woke up and I had my silver lining. I had my second chance. I got a call from my manager. Now, Daryl o' Young, Darrell is an amazing racing driver, one of the most decorated racing driver in Asia. He's won multiple championships all over Europe. He's from Hong Kong and he actually spotted me when I was 13 and I had won this race and he came up to me and he was like, like, you've got so much potential, you got to keep pushing. And then when you make that transition from carding to formula cars, give me a call. Obviously I didn't give him a call because I didn't make that transition. The pandemic happened. But he sent me a messenger, a chat on messenger asking me how I was. I responded, I was, I'm good, I'm studying now. And he was really shocked that, you know, he asked why I wasn't racing. And I was told him that because we never had any money to begin with and we definitely don't have now. And so that conversation led to a call, a meeting and that also led to Daryl managing me. So he then became my mentor and my manager and he was the first person that actually funded my racing career. He. From his own pocket, which would have been how much do you think I've nausea. But definitely close to. At that time it was a lot. Like obviously it was about 80 to 100 grand. To initially start off my formula car career out of his own pocket. He paid well. I still get so emotional when I speak about it, but obviously we couldn't afford it. I couldn't even afford to graduate because I was so behind on my tuition in school and everything. So Daryl, out of his own pocket paid for my tuition so I could graduate. He paid for my braces so I could take them off because we put them on for loan. It was a loan, but unfortunately we couldn't pay for it, so I couldn't get it out. So I've had it on for an excess of three years because he couldn't afford to get it taken out. So he paid for that. He paid for my medical so I could get a racing license. He paid for my tickets so I could fly to America and drive the, you know, and practice and test formula cars. So he did everything. He was the one that initially funded my racing career. And now we're here today.

[Jamie Laing]

That's incredible.

[Bianca Bustamante]

I was very fortunate. He, he is my lucky star. And today, you know, he's like, he's my strongest ally. He's My, he's my strongest pillar and he's my mentor. Everything I know now I, I got from him the mentality, the passion. And obviously because I couldn't afford to, you know, to spend money in the race, I had to build my own brand so I could then earn money from working with brands and sponsorship and endorsement deals so I can fund my career and fund myself. You know, that's why I made choice of leaving home at the age of 16, turning 17, to leave home and be financially independent and not ask money from my parents because I wanted to take that burden away from them. And I've been living, I've been working hard, you know, doing 10 interviews a day, working with different brands so I could, so I could fund my life and my career.

[Jamie Laing]

I want to high five you. That is, that is, that is amazing. That's an incredible story. Is that mentality from your parents and from you, is that a cultural thing or is it a unique thing?

[Bianca Bustamante]

100 it is. It's so cultural. Like obviously, now I live in uk, I'm surrounded by people that didn't grow up in the same environment as I did. I didn't grow up in the same culture as I did, which is so shocking.

[Jamie Laing]

Is it really?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yes.

[Jamie Laing]

Don't be afraid to say like, like explain it, explain it to me because I, I'm, I'm super interested in this. I, I, let me explain why. Okay. I recently got married. Right.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Congrats.

[Jamie Laing]

Thank you so much. I, I, it was like doing prom. I sort of, I, I had flowers, I said, well, let's get married. But what I've, what I didn't think about when you get married, right. Is that it's, I meet this person, we fall in love. Oh my God, that's amazing. Let's go on and live together, happily ever after. But two families come together and two families have two different ways of living. The way that we celebrated Christmas or the way that we went on holidays or the way that we book restaurants, like from the small to the big. And for me that would, that was a huge shock. Like, oh wait, you don't do it the same that I did it. My wife is half Arabic as well. So there's lots of culture things going on that very different. Right. So when you, you so explain that more to me. In the uk, you were shocked at the mentality of people or, and go deep, try and go deep. And I don't feel like you're going to offend me or anyone at all.

[Bianca Bustamante]

So there's actually this amazing analogy that my sports psychologist told me it's like it's not related to racing at all. But it was just a way for her showing me that differences in people. So imagine, obviously you got married like your partner and you, you know, you both grew up in different houses and you come together thinking that, oh, I want her to live at my house, and she's thinking that, no, I want him to live at my house. So you come together in two different, you know, lives and forms and shapes and everything. You come together at one and thinking that I want him to come to mine or he wants to come to his and stuff like that. But what you should actually be doing is take the bricks of the houses that you've all built from different experiences in life and different forms and take the good ones, good bits from one or the other and build your own house together. And that is, for me, the perfect harmony in life when you pick up all the good breaks and build a perfect house that you live in and you grow old in and you make families and good memories in. And that analogy translates so much in your career, in life, in everything. You know, you don't come to your office showing all the bad bricks and showing all the bad habits. You come there and you put your best foot forward and so does everyone else. In racing, motorsport, you know, you work with so many different people that come from different forms of life, you know, experienced younger generation or, you know, coming from multi backgrounds or not engineer or. It's so many different things. And you think of like engineering a car and you're like, I can't do all of it, I can't. All my good bricks is not enough to build that house. So you ask bricks from other people, you ask help from different people that have the tools that can help you be the best driver or build the best car for you to win. And that for me was the analogy that made me understood why the differences is so important in your life. You know, they always say you have different things for different reasons. You've got friends that are good for different reasons, some good for life, some good for health, some good for partying, some good for laughs, and that is also for racing. So for me, I've just, you know, when I came here, obviously I wanted people to be the same as I was. You know, like, I'm Asian, I love rice, I love, you know, I love eating heavy breakfast, lunch and dinner and I expected my friends to do the same, but no, they have, they do brunch instead of. Instead of heavy breakfast. So I was like, what, you don't. You don't eat fish for breakfast? What? And that shocked me because they were like, oh, let's go grab this cotton and tea for brunch. And I was like, that's not enough. Where's the rest of it? And obviously those are just the cultural differences that I've had to bend and realize that, oh, it's because we didn't grow up in the same house, we didn't grow up with the same bricks. That makes us different.

[Jamie Laing]

That is beautiful, by the way. I love that analogy. I love that analogy of bringing each brick from different places and putting it together and building a house.

[Bianca Bustamante]

And that is literally how you build the best car with the best team. It's not the one. It's not the one with the best driver, it's not the one with the best engineer, it's not the one with the best mechanic. Because one person isn't enough. It's when you bring the best out of everyone to give you the best opportunity and to be the best chances and. And it then makes sense in sport and everything. And why. How come, you know, athletes are so detrimental, like athletes performance so detrimental to their environment. You see, you know, you read about athletes or in basketball and football, you know, when they struggle with their coaches or they struggle to build relationship with their teammates and why it's so detrimental. And it is like that in life as well. So. Yeah.

[Jamie Laing]

How do you build a sense of home when you're so far away?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Oh, gosh. I tried to bring as many bricks from the Philippines to UK as much as I can.

[Jamie Laing]

So when did you come to the uk?

[Bianca Bustamante]

I moved here about a year ago, so I live here now.

[Jamie Laing]

Was that a big move?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Oh, gosh, I wish I could bring the sun with me, but that's something I couldn't do.

[Jamie Laing]

You can't do that. No, no, no. We don't like the sun here. We just like it. We like it to rain and be miserable and we like to talk about it a lot.

[Bianca Bustamante]

That, to me, was the difficult, the most difficult thing about moving to uk. You know, it's because to me, I was like, I need to go to a place where I can easily blend in. Like, you know, UK is perfect. Everyone speaks English. It'll be easy. And then I was like, people speak English, but I still don't understand it. So it's not as easy as I thought it was. And then.

[Jamie Laing]

Yeah, I can imagine.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Because it's funny, like, I work with Mike, like, obviously a British team now.

[Jamie Laing]

Yeah.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Some of them from Scotland. Some of them are from. From the north. Some of them are from. I forgot what it's called.

[Jamie Laing]

Wales.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yeah. Wales is also really difficult. And then there's this accent.

[Jamie Laing]

Essex.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Nope, it's the. It's like. It's called the Brummy accent.

[Jamie Laing]

From Birmingham.

[Bianca Bustamante]

From Birmingham. And I even still have to constantly repeat myself. And I keep having. Myself. I might as well have just lived in Italy or something.

[Jamie Laing]

It's hard. It is hard.

[Bianca Bustamante]

It is very difficult. And I always had, like, you know, an abundant amount of sunlight, vitamin D. And then I come to UK and I don't see the sun for a month and I'm like, I don't even want to get out of bed. I'm frowning and I get a message from my. From my engine, from my manager, actually. I obviously posted a story, probably. I think I posted a selfie and then my manager messaged me and be like, what happened to smiley face? Why are you all grumpy now?

[Jamie Laing]

I now live in the uk.

[Bianca Bustamante]

I now live in the uk.

[Jamie Laing]

I now live in the uk and welcome. You're welcome.

[Bianca Bustamante]

So that's been my excuse now. So, yeah, it definitely affects people. Like in the Philippines, everyone's like, smiling. Like, that's one of the best things I like about myself. I'm very, very high energy.

[Jamie Laing]

You have this great energy. So coming here and then seeing the. The mentality of people your age, it must be different, right?

[Bianca Bustamante]

It is. It is honestly one of, like, the most, like, like, not shocking, I wouldn't say shocking, but, like, the biggest thing that, like, made me realize the differences in people, like, obviously my generation, that's one thing. But one of. And. But the other is when I first moved to uk, I obviously had to go buy my stuff. I had to go buy bed sheets, furnitures, everything. And obviously it was about 5pm and I was at the mall and like, literally an hour later they told me that the mall's closing. I was like, what do you mean it's closing? It's only 7:00pm it's the mall, it can't be closing. And they told me that, oh, yeah, we closed the mall here around 8pm because people got to go back home. And I was like, are you serious? What do you mean? I'm not done. I thought it was open till late. Like, because that in the Philippines. In the Philippines or even in asia, we're open 24 7. We're. No. Well, we're open all days of the week from. Literally, we're open from 9:00am till, like, 12:00pm oh, sorry, 12:00am or like 11:00pm wow. People work till midnight in the Philippines and that is just a common, like, work culture.

[Jamie Laing]

So, so if you had to put this in order, maybe this is tricky between sort of like friends, family, work, what order would that go in? In sort of Asian culture, work work is the top.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Work. Because if you work well and you can provide well, that translates to prioritizing your family. So that's the mentality in the Philippines. You know, our way of giving love isn't by saying I love you. My parents, I could count a handful of times when my parents told me they love me.

[Jamie Laing]

Get out of here.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Well, maybe a bit more handful and maybe a toe or something, but like, just not. It's very uncommon to say I love you. It is to me, it's like nearly like a reward. My parents tell me they love me is like if I get a good grade, if I get a good raise, they maybe tell me, I love you, you did a good job. But you know, my parents, their way of showing love is, you know, providing. Like, we are such providers. You know, my parents are such providers to the extent that, that they would save up every single penny to give me that go kart or to give me a new helmet so I wouldn't feel left behind with the other drivers. You know, that's their way of showing love. And it's never by words or by actions. It's being a provider. And I think that is the main difference here in uk. Like, I see kids that still live with their parents even when they're like 22, 23, and it's, it's quite common.

[Jamie Laing]

It's probably 30 something and above. I had a friend who's still living with the parents. She's 33.

[Bianca Bustamante]

I mean, that is very, it's very uncommon in the Philippines.

[Jamie Laing]

That's the polite way of putting it. I like it. Is it really? That, is, that, would, would that be seen as someone who is failing? You can be honest. It's okay.

[Bianca Bustamante]

I, I, obviously we, we've got, we've got different, different bricks. Yeah, different bricks. Obviously some have it tougher, some have it easier. We have also got different definitions of failing, but I think that would definitely be a definition of failure. And because we are such providers that my parents are such providers that they expect me to provide for them when they're older and that's normal. Like, they've done so much for me that I owe it so much to them to give them a comfortable life. Like, that's why I Work hard. So I can, you know, say one of the greatest pleasure in life was actually when I flew my parents to UK for the first time. First time they ever came to uk. I flew them from Philippines to London for New Year's, and they obviously, I, you know, took them out nice dinners and stuff like that, and. And to them, it was everything. It is so much like, they carry that experience with so much pride. Then my. My mom goes back home to Philippines, telling everyone like, oh, my, my Bianca brought me to the restaurant. And it's so. With the Filipino accent and everything. And to them that. That's like, that's love. And it's just. Yeah, it's just differences. It's a different culture.

[Jamie Laing]

I cannot wait to see you in the F1. It's gonna be. It's gonna be amazing. You're amazing. You truly are. Listen, I like to end the conversation with 10 questions or eight questions. You ready for this?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Oh, gosh.

[Jamie Laing]

Are you ready for this? Quick fire or whatever you want. You ready for it?

[Bianca Bustamante]

I can't do quick things. I.

[Jamie Laing]

Okay, you can. Apart from racing, are you ready for this?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yes.

[Jamie Laing]

What's a saying or phrase that always makes you smile or cheers you up?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Oh, gosh. Why are we starting with a tough one already?

[Jamie Laing]

I don't know. That is quite tough.

[Bianca Bustamante]

It's actually really tough.

[Jamie Laing]

Is there anything that your parents say or your dad says to you or.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Your mum or that makes me smile?

[Jamie Laing]

Yeah.

[Bianca Bustamante]

It'S not something that makes me smile, but, like, okay, it does make you smile. It's not a saying, though. It's like. So when I was. Okay, I'm gonna give a story behind it because I can't do quick fire things. So when I was young, my parents would always buy me things that are always one size bigger, like, for shoes and clothes. So I'd just walk around, like, around, like, the house, around places with, like, big shoes, because my parents would always want me to be like, oh, so you can wear them next year. So I think that's something that still makes me smile. Like, I've grown into the habit of, like, wearing bigger things. I can wear them next year, and that makes me smile.

[Jamie Laing]

I love that. That's great. Best compliment anyone's ever given you.

[Bianca Bustamante]

My skin color. People like my tan, and that's one of the main things I love about myself.

[Jamie Laing]

What scares you most about yourself?

[Bianca Bustamante]

My habit of being obsessive over things. Like when someone tells me I can't do it, I obsess over it until I become good. Like golf I. I'm literally, like sending my video to Chat GPT so he can analyze my swing.

[Jamie Laing]

Are you serious? You can do that? I'm gonna do that. What? Are you serious? You're doing that?

[Bianca Bustamante]

I'm like, life hacks.

[Jamie Laing]

Are you serious? What?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yes. You literally record, like, your swing and Chat GBT will literally give you, like, things to work on and like, exercises how to be better and like your grip and stuff like that.

[Jamie Laing]

That's amazing.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Yes.

[Jamie Laing]

When was the last time you cried?

[Bianca Bustamante]

I don't know, like a few days ago. Just happy tears sometimes. Doesn't have to be sad. Crying doesn't have to be sad.

[Jamie Laing]

Crying doesn't have to be sad. What's something you can't let go of?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Something I can't let go of? My habit of eating rice and fish in the morning. I'm sorry I brush my teeth, but that's so good. I can't.

[Jamie Laing]

What's your guilty pleasure?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Snacking on shrimps.

[Jamie Laing]

Snacking on shrimps.

[Bianca Bustamante]

I always have, like, pack of shrimps from like Waitrose and stuff like this. Ready, cooked, ready to eat. I know the ones, prawns.

[Jamie Laing]

And you just eat them with no sauce. Nothing.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Nothing. Just be like that.

[Jamie Laing]

Is your snack in your bag? Warm prawns. Okay. All right. What turns you off?

[Bianca Bustamante]

People that aren't able to. To put themselves in other people's shoes.

[Jamie Laing]

What makes you excited? What turns you on? What makes you love life?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Planning, like, having something to look forward to.

[Jamie Laing]

What do you like most about yourself?

[Bianca Bustamante]

My smile, maybe? Yeah, I like smiling.

[Jamie Laing]

And last one. Who's your favorite Formula one driver?

[Bianca Bustamante]

Oh, gosh. Who wrote these? Current or anyone?

[Jamie Laing]

You can say that. That make it easier for you?

[Bianca Bustamante]

I mean, I. I know this easily. It's Niki Lauda, he's my favorite, but probably currently on the grid, I'd have to say Oscar Piastri. Yeah, he is. He's such a great driver and such a amazing human being.

[Jamie Laing]

You're amazing. Thank you so much. That has been incredible. I really appreciate it. You've been amazing.

[Bianca Bustamante]

I enjoyed that.

[Jamie Laing]

That was amazing. What an amazing person.

[Jemima]

That was so great. So I've listened to that with you guys.

[Jamie Laing]

Enjoyed it.

[Jemima]

I loved it.

[Jamie Laing]

Yeah, she's incredible.

[Jemima]

She's amazing.

[Jamie Laing]

She's very amazing and, yeah, just a complete force.

[Jemima]

Yeah, very inspiring, but very, like infectious and kind of magnetic. Her energy is like so bright.

[Jamie Laing]

And also, mark my words, you'll see her in the Formula one soon.

[Jemima]

Mark his words.

[Jamie Laing]

Mark my words. We hope you enjoyed the episode. Guys, if you would like to let us know what you think of the guests, what guests you would like on the episode, what you like and don't like about it. Please do send us an email. Greatcompanyamproductions.co.uk you can slide into our DMS@GreatCompany podcast, and we're going to see you next week for another episode of Great Company. Hello everyone. We're Jamie and Sophie. You may remember us from Nearly Weds and then Newlyweds.

[Sophie]

But now, guys, okay, Things are about to get even wilder as we take on our biggest adventure yet.

[Bianca Bustamante]

Becoming parents.

[Jamie Laing]

Yeah, that's right. Newlyweds is now Nearly Parents. And we're bringing you the same honest, heartwarming takes on our journey to parenthood. I guess.

[Sophie]

Join us as we find out what it really means to become become a family while trying not to kill each other.

[Jamie Laing]

Get ready for Nearly Parents, your favorite new podcast.