Backed by Tag Heuer, Aiva Anagnostiadis took on the challenge of driving in the F1 Academy championship in 2025. Her journey so far was demanding, yet the Australian driver kept her head up, learning everything she could. With three rounds to go, Anagnostiadis will try her hardest to gain more points and add to her skillset.
Currently, the Australian sits in P14 in the championship, with 5 points under her belt. While her team has been struggling during this year’s races, her best result came from Race 1 of the F1 Academy Canadian GP. Nevertheless, every minute on the circuit helps build Anagnostiadis’ racing expertise.
Talent runs in the family
Aiva Anagnostiadis is not the only woman in her family who loves the feeling of a car on track. Barbara Anagnostiadis, the 18-year-old’s mother, is a former go-kart driver. Therefore, it came as no surprise that her daughter would decide to mention her when discussing her motorsport inspirations.
Anagnostiadis went on to explain the way in which her mother shaped her career path, all the way to F1 Academy. Moreover, she highlighted the support she received from her biggest role model:
“She got me into the sport; she raced. When I was younger, I didn’t really have another female role model growing up. I always looked to her for answers, and she was always there to give them. She’s just been supporting me the whole way through.”
Additionally, Barbara Anagnostiadis’ knowledge helped the Australian. Her mother’s career became an inspiration as a female racing driver in a male-dominated field.
“She has a bit of knowledge as well behind her. So, to have her there and know she’s going to support me 100%, it’s good. My mum did kart racing when she was 12 onwards and was really good,” said the younger Anagnostiadis. “I think she was second in a couple of championships. And back then, there were pretty much no girls on the grid, so it was quite tough. She had a good record.”
The hardships of racing
Being a woman in this type of sport can come with a couple of setbacks. Aiva Anagnostiadis’ mother faced financial struggles, which put a stop to her racing journey.
“She did get the opportunity to go and do a car test because the driver wasn’t able to do the race. But unfortunately, they just didn’t have the budget to keep going. She was fast, so that’s all that really matters!” explained the 18-year-old with much adoration for her role model.
While Barbara Anagnostiadis had to abandon her passions for a while, she made sure to share her love for racing with her children:
“She got out of the sport, had kids, had a family and then got back into it. Now me and my brother are into it, so it kind of turned into a whole family affair,” added the Hitech TGR driver. While Anagnostiadis fulfils her passion by racing in F1 Academy, her brother is also in the karting world as a part of the Mercedes Junior Team.
The start of her career
Anagnostiadis reflected on her own debut into racing and the lessons she learned from her mother. The Canadian driver shared a special part of her relationship with her mom. Now a driver in F1 Academy, Anagnostiadis still appreciates her mother’s advice:
“(I’ve learnt to) Take every opportunity and enjoy it because obviously she didn’t have any of the opportunities that I have now. I think she’s kind of trying to live through me a little bit as well and just be with me on the journey. She goes, ‘you just have to enjoy it all and take it all in because you only get these opportunities in motorsport once, so you’ve got to take them and run with them.'”
Ending her trip down memory lane, Anagnostiadis shared an insight into a mother-daughter moment. The passion that runs in their family is impressive, and the 18-year-old seems to also take her competitiveness from her mother.
“I did do a test day with her when I was younger. To my advantage, I had been in the go-kart forever, and she had been out for a couple of years, so I had a bit of an advantage,” recounted the Canadian. “I think if it was an even playing field, I’d like to say that I would win, but I don’t know! She’d say her.”
Her Formula 1 hero
When it comes to aspiring drivers in the world of motorsport, everyone has an F1 driver they look up to. Aiva Anagnostiadis is no different, racing in F1 Academy while admiring Max Verstappen, the current world champion.
“I like his ego and his character. I like how when he needs to get a job done, he can just get it done. He’s fast, so I think that’s why I look up to him,” confessed the Canadian. “When they tell him over the radio that they need two or three-tenths, and he does a lap and it’s six-tenths better. He can just find it when no one else can, so I really admire that.”
Highlighting the importance of having an inspiration in motorsport, Anagnostiadis spoke of the way F1 Academy gives girls other talented women to look up to. Moreover, she recognised the advantages of having an active role model in the sport.
“A lot of the girls, I think, look up to the F1 drivers because now with F1 ACADEMY and the media and everything, it’s the same kind of concept. To look up to them, see how they handle everything, take everything on and see behind the scenes of how everything is done, so then, we can follow in their footsteps in a way. Just to see how they can block it off and drive, it’s cool.”
The path of the greats
As far as her other inspirations are concerned, Anagnostiadis talked about another female racer, Jamie Chadwick. The 27-year-old is a known name in the world of motorsport. Furthermore, the Hitech TGR driver spoke of another role model of hers, Ayrton Senna, with immense respect.
“I’d like to say Jamie Chadwick, but I like Ayrton Senna as well. My mum has always looked up to Senna, so I think he’s always been a figure that I’ve known growing up in motorsport. And he’s one of the best of all time, so you can’t really not look up to him.”
Following the advice of her brother, Anagnostiadis watched Senna’s 1984 Monaco GP performance and immediately recognised his talent. That was the moment she realised she had a lot to learn from the Brazilian driver.
“The first race I watched of his was the Monaco rain race — I think everyone knows that race (the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix). I was never any good in the wet. Then my brother was like, ‘You need to watch Ayrton Senna in the rain,’ and I was like, ‘Okay,’ just to see how he handled that car compared to everyone else. I was amazed, just at how good he was. After seeing that, I was like ‘Okay, I rate him! He’s pretty good.'”
“He just sends it. You can’t really care about the outcome; you just have to put everything on the line. I think the cars back then were a bit harder to drive than they are now, so to see how hard they were working and how much speed they were carrying. We’ve got better equipment these days so you can do it better.”, Anagnostiadis explained, further proving her appreciation for Senna’s racing mentality.
The importance of a female role model
Anagnostiadis’ biggest inspiration, besides her own mother, is Jamie Chadwick whose journey in motorsporthas been an important influence.
“Then Jamie Chadwick has obviously done probably more than any female has done in motorsport so far. I really look up to her and all the accomplishments that she’s done. And I kind of want to follow in her footsteps in a way,” spoke Anagnostiadis with great respect for the well-achieved Briton.
“She’s made the move to the US, so it’s opened that kind of pathway and shown that that is an option if you can be as good as she was. It shows you a pathway that maybe I could follow in those footsteps and get somewhere through that route.”
Lastly, Anagnostiadis put the spotlight on 2024’s F1 Academy winner, Abbi Pulling. After her victory, Pulling went on to another series and was recently announced as a reserve driver for Nissan in Formula E. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Pulling’s career encouraged Anagnostiadis further:
“Abbi Pulling has now gone to GB3, so you can win the series, and that’s your next pathway.”
