James Anagnostiadis

James was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 2010 and joined the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team’s Junior Programme mid-way through 2024.

He began karting at the age of seven – following in the footsteps of his mother and older sister, who also competed in karting. He raced throughout his native Australia, winning various events across both state and national level.

James was at a race track with his family from the age three and spent years watching, waiting and learning. He even worked on the karts before he was allowed to drive. From his very first time in a go-kart, James was quick and started winning races in his very first month of competition.

During his time in Australia, particular highlights included winning eight state championships in several different classes (such as Cadet and Junior level) between 2018 and 2023.

He was also the Australian Kart Championship’s Vice Champion in Cadet 9 in 2019, the Australian Junior Rotax Champion in 2022 and the 2023 Australian Kart Championship third place finisher in KA3 Junior.

James won the inaugural Champions of the Future Academy event in 2023 at OK Junior level. After this, him and his family made the move to Europe for the 2024 season and he currently races for Kart Republic and Argenti Motorsport in OK Junior and Junior Rotax.

The series he’s racing in during the 2024 campaign include the Champions of the Future series, FIA European Karting Championship, Champions of the Future Academy and the British Karting Championship.