Pinay teen McLaren racing driver Bianca Bustamante is on fire!
The 19-year-old has just secured a coveted spot on SportsPro Media and NorthStar Solutions Group’s 2024 list of the top 150 Most Marketable Athletes in the world, becoming the only Filipino to join sports icons like Lionel Messi, Neymar, LeBron James, and Simone Biles. She’s the only Pinoy to make it on the list.
SportsPro’s ranking system considered three key factors: brand strength, economics, and total addressable market. Athletes were also evaluated based on their ability to engage with fans, performance, and authenticity.
Bianca came in at 64th on the list, scoring a total marketability rating of 55.14, including high marks in brand strength (14.97), total addressable market (15.89), and economics (24.28), according to the SportsPro list.
Already a social media powerhouse with three million followers, Bianca is the most-followed female junior driver and has attracted endorsements from major brands including GoTyme Bank, Alpinestars, Bein Sports Asia, Qatar Airways, Pirelli, Sephora, Charlotte Tilbury, Marsatta Chocolate, Qatar Airways, and Upper Deck.
For Bianca, this latest feat is “surreal and humbling,”—something her younger self wouldn’t have imagined.
“Little Bia probably wouldn’t believe this right now but we made it to @sportspro.media most marketable athletes list of 2024 ranking 64th in the world,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
She added, “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 also took time to thank everyone who’s been supporting her through the years—from her family and friends to sponsors and fans, promising to keep pushing boundaries in motorsports.
“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,” she said.
