Rising Filipina racing talent Bianca Bustamante continues to make strides in her racing career and announced that she will race in both the Eurocup-3 Winter Series and Eurocup-3 Championship Series in 2026 with Palou Motorsport.
Photo: Bianca Bustamante
Since its inception in 2023, Eurocup-3 has been a springboard for rising stars; giving up and coming racers the chance to continue to grow their talent on legendary circuits like Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, and Barcelona-Catalunya. The European single-seater series values driver development and technical innovation, and in 2026 will begin a new era by switching to the new Toyota-powered Dallara 326 machinery.
While it will be another big step up in her career with the challenge of a completely new series and new car, the 20-year-old, who will be celebrating her 21st birthday next week, will enjoy some familiarity in the garage.
Palou Motorsport – founded in 2023 by four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou and his father Ramon – recently announced a technical partnership with PREMA Racing; the team with whom Bustamante raced in the 2023 F1 Academy, securing two victories.
As one of the world’s leading single-seater teams, the partnership with PREMA Racing will see Bustamante benefit from top-tier engineering support, simulator tools, and advanced technical resources as she expands into European competition with Palou Motorsport.
Following a pivotal season in the GB3 Championship in 2025, the move to Eurocup-3 represents another strategic step towards Bustamante’s long-term goal of competing in FIA Formula 3 and ultimately Formula 1, giving her valuable mileage against a competitive mixed international grid.
Bustamante’s Eurocup-3 debut will come on February 20-22 with round one of the three-event 2026 Eurocup-3 Winter Series, taking place at Portimao’s Autódromo Internacional do Algarve (Portugal).
Round two (27 February – 1 March) will be held at Circuit del Jarama in Spain while the third and final round will take place across March 13-15 at Motorland (Circuito Motorland Aragón Rodadas), also in Spain.
The 2026 Eurocup-3 Championship Series will then commence at the beginning of May at Circuit Paul Ricard in France – please refer below for the full event calendar.
