Aiva Anagnostiadis faced a difficult F1 Academy 2025 rookie season, as her race results were hurt by tough qualifying sessions and an end-of-season injury.
The Australian driver began her racing career in karting, earning the Australian Ladies Trophy at the 2021 Australian Kart Championship. She then competed in the Motorsport Games in France before transitioning to single-seaters in 2024 in the Indian F4 Championship and in 2025 in the 2025 Formula Winter Series. In 2025, she moved to F1 Academy, driving for Hitech TGR with TAG Heuer’s support.
Early learning curve
The 2025 F1 Academy season-opener in Shanghai saw Anagnostiadis climb from P15 to finish Race 1 inside the points, finishing P8. The 18-year-old was running in P13 on the final lap, but an on-track incident and a time penalty for Courtney Crone promoted her to P8. This result marked Anagnostiadis’s first point in F1 Academy as she later claimed P14 in Race 2.
In Jeddah, Anagnostiadis struggled to get a competitive qualifying time, finishing the session in P16. Her inexperience on the precision-demanding, high-speed street circuit was a key factor that affected her qualifying result.
Throughout the weekend, she finished 14th and 17th in Races 1 and 2, respectively. While Race 2 saw her engage in a three-way battle with Nicole Havrda and Emma Felbermayr, for P15-17. Though she ultimately wasn’t able to overtake either driver and stayed in P17.
Adapting to new challenges
Racing at the Miami International Autodrome for the first time in her career, Anagnostiadis took her time adjusting to the circuit. During a difficult qualifying session in the rain, she struggled to push on and was forced to settle for a P18 race start. Later, in Race 1, she managed to keep her car on track while gaining a few positions to take P14. This was her only Miami result as Race 2 was moved to Race 1 in Montreal due to treacherous weather conditions.
Round 4 in Montreal saw mixed results with more points in Race 1 and a retirement in Race 3. Race 1 saw Anagnostiadis start in P16, cross the line in P10, but be promoted to P8 after post-race penalties were applied. While her points finish came from a promotion, gaining six positions on track underlined clear progress in her race pace.
In Race 2, on Lap 13, Anagnostiadis and her Hitech TGR teammate Havrda made contact, bringing out a safety car and a DNF for Havrda, who spun off track. Luckily, Anagnostiadis suffered no major damage and was able to continue the race, claiming P14.
However, misfortune struck on Lap 1 of Race 3 as Anagnostiadis suffered a DNF that was beyond her control. The retirement occurred when Wild Card Mathilda Paatz lost control of her car and crashed into Anagnostiadis, heavily damaging her front wing.
Debut season cut short
Despite the mid-season break reset, Zandvoort further exposed her ongoing qualifying struggles. This issue left her fighting from the back rather than racing for points, as she finished in P16 and P17, respectively.
Unfortunately, Anagnostiadis’ 2025 F1 Academy season ended before Round 6 in Singapore as she had fractured her left foot. Her injury ruled her out of the final two races in Singapore and Las Vegas, forcing the team to make changes to their driver lineup.
Replacement drivers
British driver Megan Bruce stepped in for Anagnostiadis in Singapore. Bruce had taken part in the 2025 F1 Academy Rookie Test earlier in the year, where she impressed with P4 and P2 results. At her Singapore debut, she qualified P15, improved to P12 in Race 1, and finished Race 2 in P13.
With Anagnostiadis set to be absent for the Las Vegas finale, the team opted for Scottish driver Rachel Robertson. Robertson impressed on the low-grip circuit as she finished in P4 in Race 1, claiming 5 points to her name. In Race 2, she started and finished in P14, as she wasn’t able to move up the grid, but was able to defend her spot from a charging Felbermayr in the final laps. Her successful F1 Academy debut earned her a full-time seat for 2026 with Hitech TGR, while supported by PUMA.
2025 F1 Academy season takeaways
After missing the final two rounds of the 2025 F1 Academy season, Anagnostiadis placed 17th in the Drivers’ Standings with five points. Despite often finishing with mediocre results due to poor qualifying, Anagnostiadis steadily grew in confidence.
Her standout performance came in Montreal’s Race 1, where she converted a difficult qualifying session into a P8 finish by gaining six positions on track. This underlined her potential and slowly surfacing race pace.
Anagnostiadis’s future remains unconfirmed as Hitech TGR has already confirmed their 2026 F1 Academy lineup, featuring Rachel Robertson, Ava Dobson, and the Wild Cards. However, the foundation and experience she has built in her rookie campaign will set her up well for the next step in her career.
