Aussie teen Anagnostiadis to chase F1 dream

Melbourne teenager Aiva Anagnostiadis is preparing to move to the UK to chase her Formula 1 dream with the support of Alpine.

Anagnostiadis, 16, is a go-kart racer currently part of the Alpine Rac(H)er Academy Program and in 2024 her career will reach top gear.

The teenager and her family will relocate to Oxford, England to race a full season with Dan Holland Racing.

The British team is a highly successful karting squad racing around the United Kingdom and Europe with championship wins in the Rotax British, European championships, plus the Iame X30 Junior series.

For Anagnostiadis, this is a golden opportunity to make her dream of becoming the first female driver to start a Formula 1 Grand Prix since Lella Lombardi at Austria in 1976.

Alpine (formally Renault) has a history of supporting Australian drivers with current McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri breaking records with the French squad in Formula Renault, Formula 3 and Formula 2 as an academy member.

Whilst Piastri moved to McLaren to join the F1 grid this year, there was still an Aussie in the Alpine ranks in the form of current Formula 2 driver and F1 reserve driver Jack Doohan.

One day within the next four years Anagnostiadis hopes to be on the pathway to join those names in the Alpine F1 Academy.

“I have grown up around motorsport and just love it,” she told Neil Mitchell on 3AW Mornings.

“I love racing and especially the adrenaline you get from it. 

“I am doing go-karts at the moment and hopefully soon (transition) to cars.

“I would like my trajectory to be as quick as possible but we will see how it rolls through.

“Oscar did it quite fast, winning a lot so if we can get to do the same as what Oscar did that would be amazing.

“Hopefully around 19 and 20 we have that pathway pretty much set up.”

The 2021 Australian Ladies Karting Trophy winner already has some experience in the home of open-wheel racing Europe, representing Australia in the FIA Motorsport Games and doing a handful of club karting meetings in the UK.

But now she is going to race there full time with even her family sacrificing their life in Australia.

“We are heading over to Europe on December 31 so will start the new year in a new country,” Anagnostiadis continued.

“We will be based around Oxford in the UK. I will mainly be in the UK and all over Europe racing with Dan Holland Racing, one of the biggest British go-kart teams so that will be pretty good.

“I will do year 11 and 12 online.”

Anagnostiadis is one of six young female Karters from all over the world in Alpine’s Rac(H)er programme.

The French Formula 1 team also brought Sophia Floersch into its academy and supported the German in the 2023 FIA Formula 3 championship this year, plus Abbi Pulling, who has raced in both the W Series and Formula 1 Academy championships.

Anagnostiadis hopes to be doing the same very soon.

Image: Avia Anagnostiadis Facebook

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