Although January 2019 feels like a lifetime ago given what's happened in the world since, F1 fans may just recall in the dark recesses of their mind the possibility of a Philippines Grand Prix being added to the championship schedule.

That was the month that Liberty Media trademarked the phrase 'Philippine Grand Prix', which while not an absolute guarantor of a Formula One race coming to fruition in the country, certainly hints at an ambition to one day stop by.

But with no new developments since, the question remains: what has happened to the Philippines Grand Prix?

Thriller in Manila?

Motor racing in the Philippines dates back to the 1970s when Formula Atlantic - an open-wheeled championship - headed to the country for three editions of a race that can be tentatively called a Philippines Grand Prix.

The love of motorsport has remained. A racetrack will be built just outside Manila in conjunction with the new international airport that is planned for the area - 2026 has been identified as the first year of racing, while BeIN Sport has penned a deal for exclusive TV rights in the region.

Many of the online betting sites in the Philippines, such as Betwinner and 22bet, also provide their customers with F1 odds, whether they wish to bet on who they think will win the drivers or constructors' championships, or wager on individual races. NASCAR is another of the most popular sports to bet on in PH, which shows the appetite for motor racing in the country.

Liberty Media also holds the trademark to the phrase 'Manila Grand Prix', so some would argue that there's the risk of saturation in this corner of Asia - Singapore remains a fixture of the F1 schedule, while Indonesia and Hong Kong are also known to be keen on welcoming Formula One to their shores.

But the appearance of Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the President of the Philippines, at the Singapore GP suggests that PH might just have got a head-start on their local rivals.

Blazing a Trail

The popularity of F1 in the Philippines could go stratospheric if Bianca Bustamante shatters the glass ceiling and becomes the first female F1 driver of the modern era.

She enjoyed a fine campaign in the 2023 F1 Academy season, with the Filipino picking up two wins in her PREMA Racing car and four podium finishes overall.

So impressive were Bustamante's performances that she was snapped up by McLaren, who will add the 19-year-old to their driver development squad - she will take to the wheel of the ART Grand Prix team in 2024 as part of that link-up.

Already a huge hit on social media with more than two million followers, Bustamante could be a key cog in Formula One's mission to drive a younger, more diverse audience to the sport.

She wouldn't be the first female F1 driver - the likes of Lella Lombardi, who was the first woman to score points in a Formula One race, Maria Teresa de Filippis and Divina Galica have already made history in that regard, but Bustamante could be the first woman to earn a drive in the sport in more than 30 years.

What a feather in the cap of motorsport in the Philippines that would be.