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TEAM GUIDE: Hitech TGR’s new faces ready to kickstart their F1 ACADEMY era
Hitech TGR are the newest arrivals to the F1 ACADEMY paddock and the British team recognise that they’ll have a mountain to climb to catch up to their rivals this season.
But they’ve put their best foot forward, tapping into fresh potential with American Express driver Nicole Havrda and Aiva Anagnostiadis for TAG Heuer. They’ll also be fielding the Wild Card entry at all seven rounds this season.
A squad with as rich and successful racing history as Hitech will already know what needs to be done from the outset, starting with getting acquainted with their new car and drivers. But what are the chances of them tasting success in their first season?
NICOLE HAVRDA
Whilst this might be her first season in F1 ACADEMY, Nicole Havrda is no stranger to single-seater racing. The American Express driver made the transition from karting in 2022, earning two top-five finishes in the Indian Racing League Championship that same year.
Further success wasn’t far away, as the Canadian won titles in the Formula Pro USA Winter Series, SFR FA2 and became the first female Formula Pro USA Champion, all in 2023. Stepping up into the Formula Regional Americas Championship last season, Havrda’s standout rookie campaign saw her gain four podium finishes to finish sixth overall.
With a promising record behind her, Havrda has got the skills behind to flourish in the series. Yet she could take a little bit of time to adjust to her new tools, having not raced in a Tatuus F4 chassis or on Pirelli tyres before.
AIVA ANAGNOSTIADIS
The second of Hitech’s rookies, Aiva Anagnostiadis is another driver who has already gotten her transition year in single-seaters under her belt.
With her family involved in racing, she soon picked up a love of motorsport and silverware of her own, receiving the Australian Ladies Trophy at the 2021 Australian Kart Championship and competed at the 2022 Motorsport Games in France.
The following year saw the TAG Heuer driver move to the UK as one of six karters chosen for the Alpine Rac(H)er Academy Programme. Climbing into cars for the first-time in 2024, Anagnostiadis finished 10th in the Indian F4 Championship and started her 2025 preparations early with a stint in the Formula Winter Series.
Setting herself realistic targets, the Australian racer is determined to focus on showing signs of progress rather than arbitrary results. Considering the vast differences in experience levels, Anagnostiadis will want to find her place amongst the top 10 as early as possible to bridge that gap.
WILD CARD
With the Wild Card entry becoming a feature across all seven rounds, Hitech will have their work cut out for them. Settling in new drivers is a hard enough task on any occasion, but to do so as quickly as a race weekend demands will be a challenge.
Added to this, Hitech won’t have the previous knowledge or experienced benchmarks to fall back on as PREMA Racing did with their fourth entry last season. But as they welcome new talent, it’ll give them a good chance to assess any upcoming stars that they might be keen to field for future campaigns.
With seven vastly different rounds lying ahead of them, nobody is expecting Hitech to be triumphant from the get-go. But if they can take home their smaller personal wins, they’ll multiply and put them in the right direction for greater success towards the second half of the season.