The 2025 season of F1 Academy, marked the debut of Aiva Anagnostiadis’ career in F1 Academy. The 18-year-old Australian signed with Hitech TGR, with backing from TAG Heuer. With her debut season came numerous challenges. Some easy to overcome, and a training injury testing her confidence.
Anagnostiadis finished 16th in the Championship Standings, having only accumulated 5 points. After missing Round 5 in Singapore, Bahrain Testing, and Round 6 in Las Vegas, this is where she was forced to stay. The Australian spoke to a representative from Pit Debrief about the progression of her debut season, and the challenges that have come with it.
The transition into F1 Academy with Hitech TGR
Prior to her F1 Academy debut, Anagnostiadis’ single seater experience lied in Indian F4, and Formula Winter Series. Both of these categories only saw appearances from Anagnostiadis, rather than full seasons. This meant that the step up to F1 Academy was a rather large one. She noted that “everything happens faster”, nodding to not only the racing, but the detail, feedback, and precision.
The off track transitions have been rather apparent also. Anagnostiadis noted the extra travel, data, training, and media. Despite all the necessary adjustment, the Australian has loved every second, and every challenge.
“The transition into F1 Academy has been a massive step up for me. On track, everything happens faster than anything I’d ever experienced before – not just the speed of the racing, but the level of detail, the feedback you have to give, the precision you need every lap you’re out there.
“Off the track, it’s been just as intense. There’s a lot to think about – more travel, more data, more training, more media. But I’ve honestly loved it and despite the challenge I feel like I’ve grown a lot as both a driver and a person.”
While Anagnostiadis headed into her debut F1 Academy season aware that the competition would level up, she did not expect it to be as high as it is. She acknowledged the talent and speed of every driver on the grid, noting the lack of room for error. Anagnostiadis compared the F1 Academy professionalism to being a “mini F3 paddock”.
“I knew the level would be high, but I didn’t realise it would be this competitive. Every girl is seriously fast and there’s zero room for error. And the professionalism… it feels like a mini F3 paddock. The expectations are huge but that’s what pushes you to keep growing and developing.”
The affects injury can have on confidence and approach for the season
Anagnostiadis’ 2025 F1 Academy season came to a strong halt when she sustained an ankle fracture in training. While everyone remained hopeful for as long as possible, the injury was unfortunately season ending. Initially, Anagnostiadis thought she could perhaps return for Bahrain Testing, but when it came apparent that wouldn’t happen, attention shifted to Vegas.
In the lead up to the final round in Las Vegas, it became clear that returning was not achievable. Despite the strong desire to return to racing, and pushing as hard as possible, a return was simply not safe. Anagnostiadis struggled to jump the hurdle created when needing to accept a delayed return to the car. After putting so much into the season, it was “brutal” to watch opportunities slip away.
The Australian’s recovery has be long and gruelling, with still a road ahead. She noted that the toughest part is having no ability to speed up the process. She simply had to keep turning up, and waiting for progress to appear.
“Breaking my ankle has been tough but beyond the injury itself, it’s been the realisation that it’s meant I’m unable to finish the season. At the start, we all stayed really hopeful. First it was, “Okay, maybe I’ll make Bahrain testing.” Then it became, “Alright, maybe Vegas is still possible.” I kept pushing and hoping, but my body just wasn’t ready, no matter how badly I wanted it.
“Knowing I wouldn’t get back in the car for the end of the season was honestly one of the hardest things I’ve had to accept. You put everything into a year, and watching those opportunities slip away is brutal. The recovery itself has been gruelling – slow, repetitive, and mentally exhausting. And the toughest part is there’s absolutely no force of will that can speed it up. You just have to surrender to the process, keep turning up to rehab, and trust that you’ll get there.“
Despite the pain and frustration, Anagnostiadis’ injury has been a major learning curve. A key lesson she has admitted to learning in patience in a new way. Importantly, she noted that this set back has not killed her confidence, rather the opposite. The Australian is hungrier than ever, and looks to return stronger in all aspects.
With the free time she has had outside of the car, Anagnostiadis has found herself a new passion. Alongside the team at Kidix Driver Performance, the Australian has been coaching kids in karting in a “data girl” position. This new endeavour has been largely positive for Anagnostiadis, keeping her as close to the action as possible.
“But it’s taught me so much. I’ve learned patience in a way I never have before, and this weird kind of resilience that only comes from having something taken away. It hasn’t killed my confidence – if anything it’s done the opposite. I’m hungrier than ever, and I’m coming back stronger, physically and mentally, with a bigger-picture mindset about the driver I want to be long-term.
“And with all this unexpected extra time, I’ve actually found something new that I’m really passionate about. I’ve been working with the incredible team at Kidix Driver Performance, helping out the younger kids in karting as their “data girl.” It’s honestly been the best thing to keep me busy while I’m out of the car. It keeps me as close to the action as possible, and it feels really special being able to share what I’ve learned with the next generation coming through.”
Adjustment needed for her debut season
Having coming into the season with a slim amount of single seater background, adjustment has been necessary. The largest adjustment has come in terms of technical understanding and mental discipline. While karting relies purely on instinct, cars at this level call for understanding of every detail.
“The biggest adjustment has definitely been the combination of technical understanding and mental discipline. In karting you can rely on instinct, but in cars especially at this level, you need to understand every detail: tyre life, aero behaviour, driving style changes, and how to communicate it clearly. It’s a completely different world.”
Anagnostiadis also noted that while there is a technical adjustment, there is also a mental one. While the technical side is a big learning curve, she added that the mental side is “just as tough”. F1 Academy has a large stage that it stands upon, with a large reach in viewership. This adds a lot of pressure to drivers, especially the younger ones who may not be used to this.
There is a constant expectation to embrace the required elements of competition. While she understands the need to focus on media, partnerships, and fans, she noted the balance of then getting back into the car, and blocking out the noise. This has been a big challenge, but also been a large area of growth.
“Honestly, both. The technical side is a massive learning curve, but the mental side is just as tough – especially with so many eyeballs on you all the time. There’s this constant attention and expectation, and you have to stay calm under it, trust the process, and not let one bad session turn into a spiral. You’ve got to learn to embrace what’s required of you out of the car – media, partner activities and meeting the fans (which I love) – but then when you hop back in the car, find a way to just block out the noise and keep your head steady. That’s been one of the biggest challenges, but also one of the areas I think I’ve grown most in.”
Joining the series with the support of both F1 Academy and Hitech TGR has given Anagnostiadis the start she needed. She was provided with an incredibly clear picture of professionalism at higher levels of sport. With the series being an academy series, there is a large focus on development within processes, standards, and using track time.
Anagnostiadis ensures each simulator and data session has been used well, due to her smaller budget. F1 Academy in 2025 has been a strong introduction to the higher level formula series’.
“Working with both F1 Academy and Hitech TGR has given me a really clear picture of what a professional environment looks like at the next level. As an academy series, the focus is very much on development – understanding processes, standards, and how to use every bit of track time well. With a smaller budget, we’ve had to make our sim sessions and data work count, so I’ve learned how important debriefs and detailed analysis are. It’s been a good introduction to how the higher formulas operate.”
