McLaren Dev. Driver Bianca Bustamante Says She Aspires To Be Like Norris, Piastri

McLaren Development Driver Bianca Bustamante says she's got some amazing mentors in Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri ... telling TMZ Sports she strives to be like them both on and off the track.

19-year-old Bustamante is part of the F1 Academy -- designed to welcome the next generation of women's talent to the sport -- and has built quite the audience amid her racing career with more than 1.5 MILLION followers.

We caught up with the Filipina driver ahead of this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix ... and she said her experience in the Papaya colors has been nothing short of incredible.

Bustamante explained she's gained invaluable knowledge from Norris and Piastri that goes far beyond what happens behind the wheel.

Bustamante points out their mental strength ... as they are always focused on the next task -- even if certain things don't go their way, their determination never wavers.

Things are going great for McLaren this year -- Norris and Piastri are currently 2nd and 4th in the driver standings ... and the team has a solid lead in the constructors.

As for her own journey, Bustamante hopes to inspire the next wave of drivers ... and wants to "pass the torch a little bit brighter" to young hopefuls.

The ultimate goal is to make it to Formula One ... and when we asked what it would be like to be the first woman to win an F1 race, Bustamante explained how it would be much more than a victory for herself.

Bustamante said she knows all the work it would take to get that opportunity ... but when she reflects on her journey to this point, she knows a lot can happen in a short amount of time.