Sophia Flörsch

She finished 22nd in the standings, her sole point coming at the Red Bull Ring.

Sophia Flörsch (born 1 December 2000) is a German racing driver who currently competes in FIA Formula 3 with Van Amersfoort Racing.

She has previously raced in the DTM, the FIA World Endurance Championship and is a podium finisher in ADAC Formula 4 and the ELMS, as well as the youngest race winner of the Ginetta Junior Championship.

In February 2023, she joined the Alpine Academy.

Flörsch was born in Grünwald, Bavaria, and has spent most of her life around Munich: she attended Oberhaching Grammar School and is now based in Pullach.

Her interests include karting, skiing and wind surfing.

She has cited Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher as her racing idols.

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.

In 2015, Flörsch took part in the 2015 Ginetta Junior Championship season 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.

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 race.

She almost achieved her first podium in 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, in a race halted by poor weather conditions.

The following year she raced for BWT Mücke Motorsport, scoring two podiums and two fastest laps.

On 13 March 2018, Flörsch participated in her first FIA Formula 3 European Championship test, driving a Van Amersfoort Racing car.

On 6 July 2018, it was announced that she would join Van Amersfoort Racing beginning with the round at Circuit Zandvoort a week later.

From 15 to 18 November 2018, Flörsch participated in the Formula 3 World Cup at the 2018 Macau Grand Prix.

During the main race, on Lap 4, she made contact with fellow driver Jehan Daruvala, 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'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 a 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.

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 for updated Formula 3 machinery.

Having joined the championship only one week before the opening race, the team struggled throughout the entire season, and Flörsch could only manage 7th place in the drivers' standings.

Flörsch was an outspoken critic of the now-defunct W Series women's Formula Regional 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 championship held during the coronavirus pandemic, claiming it would create "segregation behind a computer".

Flörsch was selected by the HWA Team to attend the FIA Formula 3 Championship 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, 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.

Upon entering the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2020, Flörsch criticised the German media, claiming that they were favouring Mick and David Schumacher due to their fathers' (Michael and Ralf respectively) successes and refusing to promote other German junior formula drivers.

Flörsch is a brand ambassador for the Schaeffler Group, as well as non-profit organisations Dare to be Different and Wings for Life.

She has twice been a guest at the International Motor Show Germany, and in February 2020 she won the award for World Comeback of the Year at the 2020 Laureus World Sports Awards.