Dreaming big has always been part of Aiva Anagnostiadis life. Four years ago she set herself a goal to become the first female Formula One driver of the modern era, and now the 16-year-old is well on the way towards making her dream a reality after being selected for the prestigious Alpine Racing F1 Academy.
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The talented teen’s parents Barbara and Adam recently sold their house in Melbourne to relocate to Europe, where Aiva will race go-karts next season before moving in to cars in 2025.
Aiva says her passion for the sport began the first time she took a spin on her mum’s go-kart when she was six-years-old.
“Mum had just got back in to the sport herself so I had a go on her kart and fell in love with it,” Aiva recalls.
She continues: “I love going to the track, the atmosphere, going fast and just racing. I was still dancing competitively when I started karting, but once I turned 12 I decided to pursue motorsports as a career.”
The family are based in Oxford where Aiva will spend a full season karting in Europe for Dan Holland Racing.
She will follow in the footsteps of Aussie Formula One stars Daniel Ricciardo, Oscar Piastri and Jack Doohan, who started their racing careers at the Alpine academy.
Barbara, who started racing go-karts with her father when she was 11 years old, says she is thrilled Aiva is paving the way for women in motorsports.
“A lot of young girls have approached Aiva and myself over the past few months about getting in to the sport, which is pretty cool,” Barbara, 44, says.
“Watching young girls have that lightbulb moment that they can participate in these typically male dominated sports, do well at them and achieve amazing things is awesome.
“It’s a pretty exciting time to be a girl in Australian sport.”
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