Pinay racing driver Bianca Bustamante is slowly but surely taking over the world, and we're so here for it! Case in point: The 19-year-old racer recently graced the 2024 Gold Gala last May 11, 2024 at the historic Music Center in Los Angeles, California.
ICYDK, the Gold Gala—also known as "the Asian Pacific Met Gala"—is the biggest celebration in the United States that gathers Asian Pacific trailblazers from different industries. It also serves to honor the 2024 A100 List, a carefully curated list of Asian Pacific impactful changemakers.
Bianca Bustamante Looks Absolutely Stunning at the 2024 Gold Gala in Los Angeles
Bianca Bustamante at the 2024 Gold Gala Gold Women's Brunch
Bianca's first order of business at the lavish affair was attending the Gold Women's Brunch, where she was dressed in a breezy white denim maxi dress from Courreges that really made her skin tone *pop*.
For her makeup look, the 19-year-old racer kept it simple and opted for a bronzy makeup look that featured feathery arches, rouge, and nude glossy lips. Her hair was styled in soft beachy waves.
Bianca Bustamante at the 2024 Gold Gala Gold Carpet
Bianca traded her papaya racing suit for a powder blue Monique Lhuillier strapless gown paired with black heels that made her look like a ~*princess*~! She accessorized with a diamond open-collar choker and pearl drop earrings with a matching bracelet.
In the beauty department, the racer kept her long hair slicked into a tight bun to let her beauty look take center stage. Her glam featured an intricate fox-eye look, glittery eyeshadow, and nude lips.
On Instagram, Bianca gushed about the opportunity to attend such a high-scale event.
"Oh, to be wearing this dress, surrounded by people that I've looked up to my whole life. What a magical feeling it is to be celebrated, to be Asian. Tonight I saw the value of representation, why it matters to sometimes be brave enough to stand on your own," she wrote.
She continued: "Being Filipino, I learned the greatest lesson in life. It’s to value everything, every opportunity. Because of this, I was able to live my dreams. And being here at the @goldhouseco Gold Gala, listening to all the stories of others' hard beginnings made me realize how proud I am to have started from where I did."
Who is Bianca Bustamante?
Bianca—or Bia, as she is fondly called—is a Pinay racing driver who aims to break glass ceilings in the highly male-dominated world of motorsport. She is the first Pinay driver in the F1 Academy, the all-female single-seater series owned by Formula One designed to help young drivers advance to higher levels of competition and transition from karting to the single-seat ladder.
In 2023, Bianca made history as the *first* female driver of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, the same program that honed the skills of current grid drivers Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton. She currently represents the British racing team and ART Grand Prix in the 2024 season of F1 Academy. ICYMI, Bianca recently got her first podium of the season—a P2 finish at the Miami Grand Prix last May 5!
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