Bianca Bustamante makes history as only Filipino on 'most marketable athletes' in 2024
What a feat for Pinay racer Bianca Bustamante!
The 19-year-old McLaren racing driver has recently been named one of SportsPro Media and NorthStar Solutions Group’s 2024 list of the top 150 Most Marketable Athletes in the world, joining the likes of gymnast Simone Biles, basketball player LeBron James, and footballer Lionel Messi.
SportsPro used a scoring system to rank the world's most marketable athletes. This system considers factors such as brand strength, total addressable market, and economics. Athletes are evaluated based on their authenticity, performance, and ability to engage with fans.
Bianca ranked 64th in the list, with a tally of 14.97 for brand strength, 15.89 for total addressable market, and 24.28 for economics, for a total of 55.14 marketability score.
With over 3 million followers across multiple social media platforms, Bustamante is the most followed female junior driver. Her authentic and relatable online presence has made her the second-most marketable teenager globally, second only to 17-year-old soccer star Lamine Yamal.
Bianca is an ambassador for McLaren Racing, Google Chrome and Google Pixel, Cisco, Logitech G, EA Sports, Lance East Exotics, Bell Helmets, and Quadrant. She also has brand endorsements in 2024 with Pirelli, Sephora, Charlotte Tilbury, Marsatta Chocolate, Qatar Airways, GoTyme Bank, Bein Sports Asia, Upper Deck, and Alpinestars.
Other motorsport athletes on the list are Lewis Hamilton (11th), Max Verstappen (31st), Charles Leclerc (33rd), Lando Norris 37th), Oscar Piastri (46th), Carlos Sainz (58th), George Russell 63rd), Toni Breidinger (91st), Ferrari junior driver Oliver Bearman (101st) and MotoGP star Marc Marquez (117th).
On Instagram, Bianca expressed her excitement at being named alongside global sports icons, saying it is "surreal and humbling."
"When I started racing as a young kid, I only hoped to be able to drive in formula cars one day. It didn’t seem to be a reality because of the funds needed to compete, but we worked relentlessly trying to develop my driving, and build a name and place in motorsport. I just couldn’t take no for an answer," she wrote.
She said that her journey has been long, but she has been fortunate to have "amazing people" to guide her.
"Step by step we slowly climbed the ladder, and along the way I have met so many people who have joined me on this journey, sponsors, media, supporters and of course my loyal fans," she continued.
"It’s beautiful to see that hard work can turn into results, and I just want to take a moment to thank everyone, especially all my sponsors and partners that have given me this [privilege] to compete in motorsport. There is still so much work to do and it won’t get any easier on this journey, but I’m truly enjoying the process of developing my skill as a driver as well as building my name in the sport. Nothing but gratitude to everyone and I will continue to give it my all," Bianca ended.
In a previous interview with PhilSTAR L!fe, Bianca shares how she takes pride in what she has achieved in a traditionally male-dominated sport.
"When I got into the world of Formula One, I was in my little bubble because I was so scared. I didn’t know where I belonged and I didn’t fit in. And my insecure self really tried her hardest to mold into what everyone else looked like," Bianca recalls.
"But in the end, I [realized I] was just an inexperienced 17-year-old girl. And it’s honestly amazing to see how much I’ve grown, how I gained confidence with the way I spoke or how I presented myself. And the support from the Philippines kept me going. I love representing our colors and our flag."