Australian Aiva Anagnostiadis to join F1 Academy™ in 2025
Friday, 28 February 2025
Young Australian racer, Aiva Anagnostiadis, has been announced as one of just 18 drivers in the F1 ACADEMY™ series, joining the Hitech team. 2025 will be the first time an Australian driver has appeared in the series.
F1 ACADEMY™ was founded by Formula One to debut in 2023, with the purpose of developing young female drivers to progress to higher levels, aiding with the transition from karting to single-seater competitions. Susie Wolff is the managing director of the series, which has attracted high-profile sponsors, including all ten F1® teams, PUMA, Tommy Hilfiger, and Aiva's sponsor for 2025, TAG Heuer, who also join the series as the Official Timekeeper.
The 2025 season will consist of seven rounds, each occurring at a Formula 1® race weekend with the first race being held in Shanghai (21-23 March)
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Aiva first began karting at the age of six, when her mum Barbara, who had participated in karting herself, encouraged her and her younger brother, James, to try the sport.
"At the time I didn't have much interest in motorsport, but mum brought us to the track and I thought I want to have a go at this, so we jumped in the kart and that's when I fell in love with it," says Aiva.
Friday Park Pass tickets are $90 for the FORMULA 1 LOUIS VUITTON AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2025!
In 2022, she joined Alpine's Rac(H)er Academy junior karting program, a gender diversity initiative aimed at discovering and nurturing female talent in the industry. This program opened doors from karting into cars and has helped pave the way for Aiva into F1 ACADEMY™.
"F1 ACADEMY was a goal straight away. To reach that goal has been a dream come true and now the plan is to work as hard I can and be as competitive as possible" she says.
"I want to be a role model for those little girls coming through and be what I didn't have. We're trying to break barriers and show girls that there is another pathway and there are opportunities out there."
In addition to her seat in F1 ACADEMY™, Aiva has been announced as an Ambassador of the FORMULA 1 LOUIS VUITTON AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2025, where she will attend a number of events and activities throughout the week.
"To be an ambassador of the Australian Grand Prix, my home track, is pretty cool. I was here in 2018 as a grid kid so now to be back taking it all in again as an ambassador is awesome."
Limited tickets are available for Thursday and Friday of the FORMULA 1 LOUIS VUITTON AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2025.
Quotes attributed to TAG Heuer CEO, Antoine Pin
"The values of F1 Academy perfectly reinforce the commitments and ideals of TAG Heuer where innovation and performance are on par with our egalitarian sprit and our openness to all. We are honored to continue our indelible connection to motor racing by becoming Official Partner and Official Timekeeper of F1 Academy.”
Quotes attributed to Aiva's mother, Barbara Anagnostiadis
"With the opportunities that F1 Academy provides, it should be a massive couple of years for Aiva. We want her racing as much as possible, she's going to get to experience some amazing tracks all over the world."
" Formula 1 would be amazing, but for her to be able have a career in motor racing in whatever category that may be, to achieve the best she possibly can is our dream for her."
Quotes attributed to Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO, Travis Auld
"The depth of talent in Australian motorsport is especially evident in 2025, when we have representation in F1, F2, F3 and now F1 Academy. We are excited to follow Aiva's F1 Academy journey in the next phase of her driving career."
