No Less Than Her Parent Advised Her: DREAM LESS

 

A month ago in Channelnewsasia, 08.12.2025, Filipina F1 car racer driver BIANCA BUSTAMANTE was featured.  NOT because of anything else BUT it is her remarkable climb, clawing slowly up up and up until she can achieve each of her pre-set 'mini' success milestones.  Allow me to paste here EN TOTO the Channelnewsasia piece.  QUOTE  No one expected her to make it this far. Manila-born Bianca Bustamante opens up about breaking barriers as the first female in the McLaren Driver Development Programme and what it means to fly the Asian flag in international motor racing💥💥💥

It’s your typical Asian family origin story – parents want their kid to study hard, become a doctor and have a stable, high-paying career. Here’s the plot twist: Kid doesn’t believe in taking the conventional path but decides to believe in herself from the moment she sits in a go-kart at age three instead.  In 2024, that self-belief culminated in Bianca Bustamante making history as the first female driver ever selected for McLaren’s Driver Development Programme.  “No one expected me to make it this far; not a little girl from the Philippines who came from a very middle-class family,” Bustamante shared via video call from her home in the UK where she is now based.

Historically, the world of motor racing is notoriously known for being accessible only to those who come from prodigious privilege and the sort of pedigree afforded by favourable parentage. It takes a tremendous amount of investment to hone a child’s driving skill starting in karting. Add to that the necessary travels to competitions around the world in the hopes of them developing sufficient proficiency to even get a shot at the big leagues.

“It's a very expensive sport that's often reserved for people with money,” Bustamante acknowledged. “So for me to make a career for myself in racing and travel the world, no one expected that, not even my own family. To be honest, I was told by family members to dream less,” she confided with nary a trace of resentment or bitterness.  In fact, the only moment Bustamante’s equanimity wavers ever so slightly during our hour-long chat is when she recounts how her father had often juggled three jobs to support her racing career in the early days UNQUOTE💚💛💜

Our KEY takeaway here is that, regardless of all the MOTIVATIONS coming from all quarters, WHAT matters most is our MOTIVATIONS from within.  Even WHEN Bianca was advised [NO LESS by her mom] to 'DREAM LESS', she NEVER heeded that advice BUT instead, went for 'full throttle'.  As we speak now, Bianca is a legitimate member of the UK-based McLaren development team, inching her way UP UP and UP🏆🏆🏆