Sophia Flörsch
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Sophia Flörsch (; born 1 December 2000) is a
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
who last competed in
Indy NXT Indy NXT (pronounced "Indy Next"), previously Indy Lights, is an American Minor league, developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as INDY NXT by Firestone for sponsorship reasons. Indy NXT is the highest step ...
with
HMD Motorsports HMD Motorsports is an American racing team in the Indy NXT series. The team is owned by Henry Malukas. Indy NXT (2019–present) 2019 The origins of HMD Motorsports traces back to BN Racing's Indy Lights operation as the team had entered the ...
. She has previously raced in
Formula 3 Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. History Formula Three (adop ...
,
DTM DTM may refer to: Sport * Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a motor-racing series staged annually in Germany since 2000 * Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, a motor-racing championship staged in Germany from 1984 to 1995 Computing * Data Transfer ...
, the
FIA World Endurance Championship The FIA World Endurance Championship, abbreviated as WEC, is a world championship for automobile endurance racing organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The se ...
and is a podium finisher in
ADAC Formula 4 ADAC Formula 4 () was a racing series regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations. The inaugural season was the 2015 ADAC Formula 4. It replaced the ADAC Formel Masters, held from 2008 to 2014. History Gerhard Berger and the FIA Single S ...
and the
ELMS The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...
, as well as the youngest race winner of the Ginetta Junior Championship. In February 2023, she joined the
Alpine Academy The Alpine Academy, formerly known as the RF1 Driver Programme, Renault Driver Development and Renault Sport Academy, is a driver development programme to support young racing drivers through their careers. The programme was created by Renault F ...
.


Personal life

Flörsch was born in
Grünwald, Bavaria Grünwald (German language, German for ''green forest'') is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Munich (district), district of Munich, in the state of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Isar, 12 km southwest ...
, and has spent most of her life around
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
: she attended
Oberhaching Oberhaching is a Municipalities in Germany, municipality in Bavaria, Germany, with 13,638 inhabitants (2020) on an area of . It is located south of Munich city centre and has a 1,250 year history. Architecture The most important buildings are ...
Grammar School and is now based in
Pullach Pullach, officially Pullach i. Isartal (, ), is a municipality in the district of Munich (district), Munich in Bavaria in Germany. It lies on the Isar Valley Railway and is served by the S7 (Munich), S 7 line of the Munich S-Bahn, at the Großh ...
. Her interests include karting, skiing and wind surfing. She has cited
Lewis Hamilton Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...
,
Sebastian Vettel Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who most recently competed in Formula One from to . Vettel won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won consecutively from to with Red Bull, and rema ...
and
Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher (; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to and from to . Schumacher won a record-setting seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, tied by Lewis Hamilton in ...
as her racing idols.


Views and ambassadorship

Flörsch was an outspoken critic of the now-defunct W Series women's
Formula Regional Formula Regional (FR) is an FIA-approved moniker for certified regional one-make Formula Three championships with the concept being approved during the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in December 2017. The first series under new regulations w ...
championship; labelling it a "step back on a sporting level" and "not the way to help women in motorsport" upon launch in 2019, and "gender bashing" in 2022. She further criticised the existence of a series-affiliated
esports Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...
championship held during the coronavirus pandemic, claiming it would create "segregation behind a computer". In 2024, after the championship's collapse, former W Series driver
Abbie Eaton Abigail Eaton (born 2 January 1992) is an English racing driver, instructor and performance coach from the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. She last competed in Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain. She is best known for starring as the test dr ...
claimed that some of Flörsch's arguments were "completely deluded" and that "a lot of the time it's her dad posting on her social media". She has also been critical of the subsequent
F1 Academy F1 Academy is a female-only, Formula 4-level Formula racing, single-seater racing championship founded by the Formula One Group. The championship is a One-design racing, spec series, meaning that all teams compete with an identical Tatuus F4-T4 ...
, classing it as "segregation" and "the wrong approach". Flörsch is a brand ambassador for the
Schaeffler Group Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG, also known as the Schaeffler Group (''Schaeffler-Gruppe'' in German), is a German manufacturer of rolling element bearings for automotive, aerospace and industrial uses, including the FAG brand. It was fo ...
, as well as
non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
organisations Dare to be Different and Wings for Life. She has twice been a guest at the
International Motor Show Germany The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility trade fairs. I ...
, and in February 2020 she won the award for World Comeback of the Year at the 2020
Laureus World Sports Awards The Laureus World Sports Awards is an annual award ceremony honouring individuals and teams from the world of sports along with sporting achievements throughout the year. It was established in 1999 by Laureus Sport for Good Foundation foundin ...
.


Racing career


Karting

Flörsch began karting in 2005. From 2008 to 2014, Flörsch competed in various karting events across Europe through Kart Sport. She became the first female driver and also youngest driver of three series she competed in, the 2008 SAKC Championship, 2009 ADAC German Championship and 2010 European Championship Easykart. She was also scouted by
Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks created and owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With a market share of 43%, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2020, and the third most valuable soft drink brand, behind Coca-Cola and ...
.


Ginetta Junior

In 2015, Flörsch took part in the
2015 Ginetta Junior Championship season The 2015 Kick Start Energy Ginetta Junior Championship was a multi-event, one make motor racing championship held across England and Scotland. The championship featured a mix of professional motor racing teams and privately funded drivers, aged ...
driving for HHC Motorsport. During the season, Flörsch collected two wins and a further two podiums. She made double Ginetta history at Thruxton by becoming the youngest driver to win a Ginetta Junior race, and also the first rookie to win two out of two races in one weekend. Her season was cut short due to financial issues and she finished at the mid-season point, at that time running in third in the championship, also leading the Rookie championship. Her car for the season was Car 14, which she named ''Paul''.


Formula 4

In 2016, Flörsch signed with Motopark to drive in the ADAC Formula 4 championship. Her car for the season was Car #99, which she called ''Hugo''. In her debut race, she became the first female to score points in an
ADAC Formula 4 ADAC Formula 4 () was a racing series regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations. The inaugural season was the 2015 ADAC Formula 4. It replaced the ADAC Formel Masters, held from 2008 to 2014. History Gerhard Berger and the FIA Single S ...
race. She almost achieved her first
single-seater An open-wheel car is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or inside fend ...
podium in only her third race; after being hit by another car in the closing laps of the race she recovered to fifth. Her first fastest lap of the season came at race 3 in
Zandvoort Zandvoort () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach. It is bordered by coastal dunes of Zuid-Kennemerland National Park and the Amsterdam ...
, in a race halted by poor weather conditions. The following year she raced for ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg in a pink BWT-sponsored car. She got her first podium finish at the
Sachsenring The Sachsenring () is a motorsport race track, racing circuit located in Hohenstein-Ernstthal near Chemnitz in Saxony, Germany. Among other events, it features the annual German motorcycle Grand Prix of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyc ...
, a feat she repeated at
Hockenheim Hockenheim () is a town in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 20 km south of Mannheim and 10 km west of Walldorf. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain, Upper Rhine valley on the tourist theme routes "Baden Asparagus Route" ( ...
, where she also took two fastest laps.


FIA Formula 3 European Championship


2018

On 13 March 2018, Flörsch participated in her first
FIA Formula 3 European Championship The FIA Formula 3 European Championship was a European Formula Three (F3) auto racing competition, organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). After one season of the FIA Formula 3 International Trophy, the FIA revived t ...
test, driving a
Van Amersfoort Racing Van Amersfoort Racing (; VAR) is an auto racing team based in the Netherlands. The team competes in FIA Formula 2, FIA Formula 3, Formula Regional European, and Italian F4. Notable former drivers for the team include nine Formula One drivers ...
car. On 6 July 2018, it was announced that she would join Van Amersfoort Racing beginning with the round at
Circuit Zandvoort Circuit Zandvoort (), known for sponsorship reasons as CM.com Circuit Zandvoort, previously known as Circuit Park Zandvoort until 2017, is a motorsport race track located in the dunes north of Zandvoort, the Netherlands, near the North Sea coas ...
a week later. She finished 22nd in the standings, her sole point coming at the
Red Bull Ring The Red Bull Ring is a motorsport race track in Spielberg, Austria, Spielberg, Styria, Austria. The race circuit was founded as Österreichring (translation: Austrian Circuit) and hosted the Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from t ...
.


2018 Macau Grand Prix

From 15 to 18 November 2018, Flörsch participated in the Formula 3 World Cup at the
2018 Macau Grand Prix The 2018 Macau Grand Prix (formally the 65th Suncity Group Macau Grand Prix – FIA F3 World Cup) was a motor race for Formula Three cars that was held on the streets of Macau on 18 November 2018. Unlike other races, such as the Pau Grand Pri ...
. During the main race, on Lap 4, she made contact with fellow driver
Jehan Daruvala Jehan Daruvala (Marathi language, Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA, ͡ʒeˈɦɑn daːruːvaːlaː born 1 October 1998) is an Indian racing driver who last raced in the Formula E for Maserati MSG Racing. He was a protégé of the Force India ...
, who was reportedly slowing for erroneously displayed yellow flags on the straight between Mandarin Corner (Turn 2) and Lisboa Bend (Turn 3). This caused a front left suspension failure, catapulting her car into Lisboa Bend sideways at high speed, launching off
Sho Tsuboi is a Japanese racing driver for Toyota Gazoo Racing and TOM'S, TOM'S Racing, who currently competes in the Super GT, Super GT Series GT500 class and Super Formula Championship.DriverDB Internetseite: Tsuboi is a three-time Super GT GT500 champ ...
's car, through the catch fencing and smashing into a photographers' bunker, before landing back onto the wheels. Flörsch was reported as conscious post crash and was hospitalised along with Tsuboi, two photographers, and a marshal. She was later diagnosed with a spinal fracture, for which she underwent surgery lasting almost 10 hours the following day, subsequently reported as successful with "no fear of paralysis", by her race team leader, Frits van Amersfoort.


Formula Regional

On 14 December 2018, Van Amersfoort Racing confirmed that Flörsch would race for the team in the European F3 replacement series, Formula European Masters, in 2019. After this series folded before a round was contested, Flörsch and VAR switched to the
Formula Regional European Championship The Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) is a FIA-certified Formula Regional, regional European Formula Three, Formula 3 racing series. On 12 October 2018, it was announced that the Italian autosport regulator Automobile Club ...
for updated Formula 3 machinery. Having joined the championship just one week before the opening race, the team struggled throughout the season, but Flörsch managed 7th place in the standings with points in all 24 races and a fastest lap at the
Red Bull Ring The Red Bull Ring is a motorsport race track in Spielberg, Austria, Spielberg, Styria, Austria. The race circuit was founded as Österreichring (translation: Austrian Circuit) and hosted the Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from t ...
.


Formula 3


2019 Macau Grand Prix

Flörsch was selected by the
HWA Team HWA Team, also known as HWA RACELAB, is the auto racing team of HWA AG, a German company based in Affalterbach, that also develops and builds vehicles and components for Mercedes-AMG race cars. It is named after founder Hans-Werner Aufrecht. ...
to attend the
FIA Formula 3 Championship The FIA Formula 3 Championship (FIA F3) is a third-tier international Open wheel car, single-seater racing championship organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship launched in 2019 as a feeder series for ...
post-season test on 22 October 2019 in Valencia. In early November, it was confirmed that Flörsch was placed on the team to compete in the
2019 Macau Grand Prix The 2019 Macau Grand Prix (officially the 66th Suncity Group Macau Grand Prix – FIA F3 World Cup) was a Formula Three (F3) motor race held on the Guia Circuit, streets of Macau on 17 November 2019. Unlike previous races, the event was a non- ...
, with support from several Macanese companies and notable people. She failed to finish the race after her car suffered a mechanical failure which left her stranded ahead of the Mandarin Oriental Bend on the eighth lap.


2020

Flörsch signed with
Campos Racing Campos Racing (formerly Adrián Campos Motorsport and Campos Grand Prix) is a Spanish motor racing team based in Alzira, Valencia, founded by former Formula One driver Adrián Campos in 1997. The team has been successful in Formula Three, GP2 S ...
for the 2020 season of the FIA F3 Championship to partner Alessio Deledda and
Alex Peroni Alexander James Peroni (born 27 November 1999) is an Australian racing driver, currently competing in the GT World Challenge Australia. He has previously competed in the 2022 European Le Mans Series for Algarve Pro Racing, the 2021 Indy Light ...
. After a difficult year with several mechanical problems, she finished 29th out of 35 drivers in the standings, with a best finish of 12th. She was the first woman to race in the championship since its formation after the
GP3 Series The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and the ...
and European F3 categories were merged.


2023

Flörsch returned to the
FIA Formula 3 Championship The FIA Formula 3 Championship (FIA F3) is a third-tier international Open wheel car, single-seater racing championship organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship launched in 2019 as a feeder series for ...
in 2023, signing with
PHM Racing PHM Racing is a German auto racing team established by Paul Müller. It mainly competes in junior open-wheel racing series. History Born from the ashes of Mücke Motorsport's single-seater programme, which was disbanded at the end of 2021, PH ...
by Charouz. Shortly after, she was announced as a new member of the
Alpine Academy The Alpine Academy, formerly known as the RF1 Driver Programme, Renault Driver Development and Renault Sport Academy, is a driver development programme to support young racing drivers through their careers. The programme was created by Renault F ...
, having been selected by the brand's new 'Rac(H)er' programme. Having focused on collecting data in the first few rounds, Flörsch achieved her and PHM's first points with 9th place at the
Red Bull Ring The Red Bull Ring is a motorsport race track in Spielberg, Austria, Spielberg, Styria, Austria. The race circuit was founded as Österreichring (translation: Austrian Circuit) and hosted the Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from t ...
, only to then lose the result to a post-race disqualification. She then went on to make 23 and 29 overtakes respectively across both races at the
Hungaroring The Hungaroring is a motorsport racetrack in Mogyoród, Pest County, Hungary where the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix is held. In 1986, it became the location of the first Formula One Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix behind the Iron Curtai ...
and
Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), informally referred to as Spa, is a motor-racing circuit located in Francorchamps, Stavelot, Wallonia, Belgium, about southeast of Spa. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, ho ...
, before getting back into the points. With 7th place in a wet feature race at Spa, Flörsch earned 6 points—a milestone for women in motorsport, as she became the first female driver to score points in the series, and for the team, as Charouz had only managed a single point in the entire 2022 season.


= 2023 Macau Grand Prix

= At the end of the 2023 season, Flörsch rejoined
Van Amersfoort Racing Van Amersfoort Racing (; VAR) is an auto racing team based in the Netherlands. The team competes in FIA Formula 2, FIA Formula 3, Formula Regional European, and Italian F4. Notable former drivers for the team include nine Formula One drivers ...
to participate in the
2023 Macau Grand Prix The 2023 Macau Grand Prix (formally the 70th Macau Grand Prix – FIA F3 World Cup) was a motor race for Formula Three cars held on the Guia Circuit, streets of Macau on 19 November 2023. The Macau Grand Prix served as a non-championship round ...
. Unlike her previous two attempts, this time she was able to finish the race, in 11th position ahead of both her teammates.


2024

Flörsch remained with
Van Amersfoort Racing Van Amersfoort Racing (; VAR) is an auto racing team based in the Netherlands. The team competes in FIA Formula 2, FIA Formula 3, Formula Regional European, and Italian F4. Notable former drivers for the team include nine Formula One drivers ...
for the 2024 season, but failed to build on her previous year, recording a best finish of 11th as teammate
Noel León Noel Jesús León Vázquez (born 21 December 2004) is a Mexican racing driver who currently competes in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship with Prema Racing, having previously raced with Van Amersfoort Racing in 2024 FIA Formula 3 Championshi ...
made the podium four times. VAR team manager Klaudija Jakaj stated after the season that Flörsch "would have deserved" to score points, and that she was "often involved in incidents caused by others".


Endurance racing

Flörsch combined her 2020
FIA Formula 3 Championship The FIA Formula 3 Championship (FIA F3) is a third-tier international Open wheel car, single-seater racing championship organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship launched in 2019 as a feeder series for ...
commitments with a debut in prototype racing, skipping the Spa-Francorchamps Formula 3 round to enter the Le Castellet 240 with
Beitske Visser Beitske Visser (born 10 March 1995) is a Dutch people, Dutch Auto racing#Racing driver, racing driver. She has raced in kart, single-seater, GT and prototype series. Career Karting Born in Dronten, Visser began karting in 2007 and raced in va ...
for
Richard Mille Racing Team Signatech, currently competing as the Alpine Endurance Team, is a French auto racing team and racing car constructor that competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Signatech has been a long-term partner for Alpine since 2013, and has been ...
in the LMP2 class of the
2020 European Le Mans Series The 2020 European Le Mans Series was the seventeenth season of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's (ACO) European Le Mans Series. The six-event season began at Circuit Paul Ricard on 19 July and finished at Algarve International Circuit on 1 Novem ...
instead. The campaign also included entry into the
2020 24 Hours of Le Mans The 88th 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: ''88e 24 Heures du Mans'') was a 24-hour Endurance racing (motorsport), automobile endurance race for Le Mans Prototype (LMP) and LM GTE, Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance (LMGTE) cars fielded by teams of th ...
, where she finished in 9th place alongside Visser and
Tatiana Calderón Tatiana Calderón Noguera (born 10 March 1993) is a Colombian racing driver currently competing in the 2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship driving for Gradient Racing. Calderón previously drove for the Drago Corse with ThreeBond squad in the S ...
. She continued with Richard Mille in 2021, this time in the
FIA World Endurance Championship The FIA World Endurance Championship, abbreviated as WEC, is a world championship for automobile endurance racing organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The se ...
, where she led the team to five points finishes and qualified a season-best 6th at the 8 Hours of Bahrain, ahead of Formula One race winner
Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán (; born 20 September 1975) is a Colombian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to , IndyCar between 1999 and 2022, and the NASCAR Cup Series between 2006 and 2024. Montoya won seven Formula One Grand ...
. She also received a call-up from
Algarve Pro Racing Algarve Pro Racing (APR) is a Portuguese sports car racing team founded in 2010 by husband and wife Stewart and Samantha Cox. The team focuses on prototype racing, fielding LMP2 entries in the European Le Mans Series, as well as partnering wit ...
to replace
Diego Menchaca Diego Menchaca González-Quintanilla (born 20 October 1994 in Mexico City) is a Mexican racing driver. Career Karting Menchaca began karting in 2006 at the age of eight, competing in championships across Mexico and the United States. Lower F ...
in the
2021 European Le Mans Series The 2021 European Le Mans Series was the eighteenth season of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's (ACO) European Le Mans Series. The six-event season began at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 18 April and finished at Algarve International Circuit o ...
season finale at
Portimão Portimão () is a city and a municipality in the district of Faro (district), Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2022 was 63,079 in an area of 182.06 km2. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão. In ...
. She finished third alongside Ferdinand Habsburg and Richard Bradley, achieving the team's first podium and becoming the first woman to ever finish on an overall podium in the series. Flörsch later appeared in the post-season
FIA World Endurance Championship The FIA World Endurance Championship, abbreviated as WEC, is a world championship for automobile endurance racing organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The se ...
rookie test in
Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
, driving for newly-crowned LMP2 champions
Team WRT W Racing Team (known as Team WRT) is a Belgium, Belgian auto racing team founded in 2009 by engineer and former head of Volkswagen Motorsport René Verbist, racing driver Vincent Vosse, and entrepreneur Yves Weerts. Between 2010 and 2022 the team ...
, where she led both sessions. In 2022, Flörsch left the Richard Mille project to join
G-Drive Racing G-Drive Racing is a Russian sports car racing team. It is named after the commercial fuel distributed by Gazprom Neft, a subsidiary of oil giant Gazprom. They made their debut in the LMP2 class of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship in a p ...
and make a full-time return to the
European Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...
, driving one of the team's two
Oreca 07 The Oreca 07 is a Le Mans Prototype built by French manufacturer Oreca to meet the 2017 FIA and ACO LMP2 regulations. It made its official race debut in the opening round of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the 24 Hours of Dayt ...
LMP2 cars alongside
Roman Rusinov Roman Aleksandrovich Rusinov ( rus, Рома́н Алекса́ндрович Ру́синов, p=rɐˈman ɐlʲɪˈksandrəvʲɪtɕ ˈrusʲɪnəv, born 21 October 1981 in Moscow) is a Russian auto racing driver who competed in the FIA World Endu ...
. The plan quickly changed following the team's withdrawal due to the
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
.
Algarve Pro Racing Algarve Pro Racing (APR) is a Portuguese sports car racing team founded in 2010 by husband and wife Stewart and Samantha Cox. The team focuses on prototype racing, fielding LMP2 entries in the European Le Mans Series, as well as partnering wit ...
, who were set to run G-Drive's cars, took over independently, signing Flörsch and F2 podium finisher
Bent Viscaal Bent Max Calvin Viscaal (born 18 September 1999 in Almelo) is a Dutch racing driver who is competing in the 2025 European Le Mans Series with Proton Competition. He previously raced in the European Le Mans Series for Algarve Pro Racing. He is t ...
. Despite both being silver-ranked and lacking experience compared to the rival three-driver lineups, the pair took second place on debut at
Paul Ricard Paul Louis Marius Ricard (; July 9, 1909 – November 7, 1997) was a French industrialist and creator of an eponymous pastis brand which merged in 1975 with its competitor Pernod to create Pernod Ricard. Ricard was also an environmentalist and t ...
. That was to be the high point of their season though, as a late puncture at
Imola Imola (; or ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, located on the river Santerno, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The city is traditionally considered the western entrance to the historical region Romagna ...
, an untimely full-course yellow at
Monza Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...
and a pit-lane start at
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
limited their next results, before Flörsch vacated her seat for the final two rounds. She also entered the
24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
alongside
Jack Aitken Jack Anthony Han-Aitken (Korean language, Korean: 한세용, ''Han Se-yong''; born 23 September 1995) is a British and South Korean racing driver, who competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Action Express Racing, Cadillac Whelen and i ...
and bronze-rated
John Falb John Falb (born December 13, 1971) is an American businessman and racing driver currently competing in the Asian Le Mans Series The Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS) is an Asian sports car racing endurance series created by the Automobile Club d ...
, where bad fortune struck too. As the cars lined up for the start of the race, Flörsch's car came to a stop at the start-finish line with a sensor issue. She managed to restart it and crawl back to the pits, but the trio lost five laps and all podium aspirations while the crew fixed the problem. They climbed back up to fifth place in the LMP2 Pro/Am subclass, as Aitken set the 8th fastest LMP2 time and Flörsch was the 3rd quickest silver driver. After a two-year hiatus, Flörsch returned to the
LMP2 A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is a type of sports prototype race car used in various races and championships, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series, and Asian Le M ...
paddocks in 2025, rejoining Algarve Pro Racing in a test and development role.


DTM

Alongside her
FIA WEC The FIA World Endurance Championship, abbreviated as WEC, is a world championship for automobile endurance racing organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The se ...
programme, Flörsch raced in the
2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters The 2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters was the thirty-fifth season of the premier German motor racing championship and also the twenty-second season under the moniker of Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters since the series' resumption in 2000. It was ...
for German team
Abt Sportsline Abt Sportsline is an auto racing and auto tuning company based in Kempten im Allgäu, Germany. Abt mainly deals with Audi and the related primary Volkswagen Group brands—Volkswagen, Škoda, and SEAT—modifying them by using sports-type su ...
with backing from
Schaeffler Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG, also known as the Schaeffler Group (''Schaeffler-Gruppe'' in German), is a German manufacturer of rolling element bearings for automotive, aerospace and industrial uses, including the FAG brand. It was fou ...
. The first half of the season proved challenging, as she was the only
Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...
to pioneer Schaeffler's 'Space Drive'
steer-by-wire Steer-by-wire, in the context of the automotive industry, is a technology or system that allows steering some or all of a vehicle's wheels without a steering column that turns the direction of those wheels mechanically. It is different from electr ...
system, but she turned it around by scoring 8 points from the last six races, in what was her rookie season in GT3 cars.


Indy NXT

In December 2024, Flörsch signed with
HMD Motorsports HMD Motorsports is an American racing team in the Indy NXT series. The team is owned by Henry Malukas. Indy NXT (2019–present) 2019 The origins of HMD Motorsports traces back to BN Racing's Indy Lights operation as the team had entered the ...
to compete in the
2025 Indy NXT The 2025 Firestone Indy NXT Series is the ongoing 39th season of the Indy NXT Open wheel car, open wheel auto racing series and the 23rd sanctioned by IndyCar, acting as the primary support series for the IndyCar Series. This is the third year of ...
series, shifting her career to United States-based racing. However, unexpected budget issues meant she had to end her season abruptly after just one race.


Karting record


Karting career summary


Racing record


Racing career summary

As Flörsch did not compete in the required number of rounds, she was ineligible for a championship position.


Complete Ginetta Junior Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete ADAC Formula 4 Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete Macau Grand Prix results


Complete Formula Regional European Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) * The third race in Vallelunga was cancelled due to bad weather and later run in Imola as a fourth race.


Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)


Complete European Le Mans Series results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results


Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


American open–wheel racing results


Indy NXT

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) (Races with L indicate a race lap led) (Races with * indicate most race laps led) * Season still in progress.


References


External links

* *
Profile on Motorsportal.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Florsch, Sophia 2000 births Living people Racing drivers from Munich German racing drivers German female racing drivers Racing drivers from Bavaria Ginetta Junior Championship drivers ADAC Formula 4 drivers Italian F4 Championship drivers FIA Formula 3 European Championship drivers Laureus World Sports Awards winners FIA Formula 3 Championship drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers Formula Regional European Championship drivers Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters drivers European Le Mans Series drivers FIA World Endurance Championship drivers Motopark Academy drivers Mücke Motorsport drivers Van Amersfoort Racing drivers HWA Team drivers Campos Racing drivers Abt Sportsline drivers Signature Team drivers Algarve Pro Racing drivers PHM Racing drivers Charouz Racing System drivers 21st-century German sportswomen Indy NXT drivers HMD Motorsports drivers