Sophia Flörsch

Sophia Flörsch (; born 1 December 2000) is a German racing driver who serves as a development driver for Opel in Formula E. She previously raced in Formula 3, DTM, FIA WEC and is a podium finisher in ADAC Formula 4 and the ELMS, as well as the youngest race winner of the Ginetta Junior Championship. From 2023 to 2024, she was part of the Alpine Academy. Her interests include karting, skiing and wind surfing. She has cited Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher as her racing idols.

Views and ambassadorship 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". In 2024, after the championship's collapse, former W Series driver Abbie Eaton 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, classing it as "segregation" and "the wrong approach".

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,

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.

Ginetta Junior 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.

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 race. She almost achieved her first single-seater 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, in a race halted by poor weather conditions.

The following year, Flörsch raced for ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg in a pink BWT-sponsored car. She got her first podium finish at the Sachsenring, a feat she repeated at Hockenheim, 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 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. She finished 22nd in the standings, her sole point coming at the Red Bull Ring.

2018 Macau Grand Prix 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 four, 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 surgery lasting almost ten hours the following day, subsequently reported as successful with "no fear of paralysis", by her race team owner and team principal, 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 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 seventh place in the standings with points in all 24 races and a fastest lap at the Red Bull Ring.

Formula 3 2019 Macau Grand Prix

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.

2020 Flörsch signed with Campos Racing for the 2020 season of the FIA F3 Championship to partner Alessio Deledda and Alex Peroni. After a difficult year with several mechanical problems, she finished 29th out of 35 drivers in the standings, with a best finish of twelfth. She was the first woman to race in the championship since its formation after the GP3 Series and European F3 categories were merged.

2023 Flörsch driving for PHM Racing during the 2023 Spielberg Formula 3 round. Flörsch returned to the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2023, signing with PHM Racing by Charouz. Shortly after, she was announced as a new member of the Alpine Academy, 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 ninth place at the Red Bull Ring, 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 and Spa-Francorchamps, before getting back into the points. With seventh place in a wet feature race at Spa, Flörsch earned six 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 Flörsch racing at the 2023 Macau Grand Prix with Van Amersfoort Racing. At the end of the 2023 season, Flörsch rejoined Van Amersfoort Racing to participate in the 2023 Macau Grand Prix. Unlike her previous two attempts, this time she was able to finish the race, in eleventh position ahead of both her teammates.

2024 Flörsch's Alpine-liveried car at the 2024 Spielberg Formula 3 round. Flörsch remained with Van Amersfoort Racing for the 2024 season, but failed to build on her previous year, recording a best finish of eleventh as teammate Noel León 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 commitments with a debut in prototype racing, skipping the Spa-Francorchamps Formula 3 round to enter the Le Castellet 240 for Signatech's all-female Richard Mille Racing Team in the LMP2 class of the 2020 European Le Mans Series instead. The campaign also included entry into the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans, where she finished in ninth place alongside Beitske Visser and Tatiana Calderón.

Flörsch testing Richard Mille's LMP2 at MotorLand Aragón in 2020.

Flörsch continued with Richard Mille in 2021, this time in the FIA World Endurance Championship, where she led the team to five points finishes and qualified a season-best sixth at the 8 Hours of Bahrain, ahead of Formula One race winner Juan Pablo Montoya. She also received a call-up from Algarve Pro Racing to replace Diego Menchaca in the 2021 European Le Mans Series season finale at Portimão. She finished third alongside Ferdinand Habsburg and Richard Bradley, achieving the team's first podium and becoming the first woman to finish on an overall ELMS podium since Natacha Gachnang in 2013. Flörsch later appeared in the post-season FIA World Endurance Championship rookie test in Bahrain, driving for newly-crowned LMP2 champions Team WRT, where she led both sessions.

Flörsch racing at the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans for Algarve Pro Racing.

In 2022, Flörsch left the Richard Mille project to join G-Drive Racing and make a full-time return to the European Le Mans Series, driving one of the team's two Oreca 07 LMP2 cars alongside Roman Rusinov. The plan quickly changed following the team's withdrawal due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Algarve Pro Racing, who were set to run G-Drive's cars, took over independently, signing Flörsch and F2 podium finisher Bent Viscaal. 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. That was to be the high point of their season though, as a late puncture at Imola, an untimely full-course yellow at Monza and a pit-lane start at Barcelona limited their next results, before Flörsch vacated her seat for the final two rounds. She also entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside Jack Aitken and bronze-rated John Falb, 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 eighth fastest LMP2 time and Flörsch was the third quickest silver driver.

After a two-year hiatus, Flörsch returned to the LMP2 paddocks in 2025, rejoining Algarve Pro Racing in a test and development role.

DTM Alongside her FIA WEC programme, Flörsch raced in the 2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters for German team Abt Sportsline with backing from Schaeffler. The first half of the season proved challenging, as she was the only Audi to pioneer Schaeffler's 'Space Drive' steer-by-wire system, but she turned it around by scoring eight 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 to compete in the 2025 Indy NXT 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.

Formula E In 2018, Flörsch was selected by HWA Racelab for December's in-season Formula E test in Diriyah, which saw nine women take to the Saudi track. However, the injuries sustained at Macau a month prior meant she was ultimately replaced by Carrie Schreiner. In 2024, Flörsch was scheduled to drive for Nissan at the women's test in Valencia, but was forced to withdraw after the event was disrupted by the 2024 Spanish floods — the new date at Madrid clashing with a "prior, unavoidable commitment".

In 2026, Flörsch joined the Opel GSE Formula E Team as test and development driver.

Karting record

Karting career summary SeasonSeriesTeamPosition 2009 ADAC Kart Masters - Bambini B Grünwald 5th Easykart Int. Grand Final - Easykart 60 30th ADAC Kart Bundesendlauf - Bambini B Ebert Motorsport1st 2010 Italian Open Masters - 60 Mini Emilia Kart Srl 30th Easykart Int. Grand Final - Easykart 60 Emilia Kart 9th Easykart European Grand Finals - 60cc1st 40° Trofeo delle Industrie - 60 Mini 10th ADAC Kart Masters - Bambini A Grünwald 15th WSK Nations Cup - 60 Mini 12th 2011 Andrea Margutti Trophy - 60 Mini Birel Motorsport 6th Campionato Italiano CSAI Karting - 60 Mini 7th SKUSA Pro Tour - TaG Cadet 31st 2012 Euro Wintercup - KF3 22nd DMV Kart Championship - KF3 Ebert Motorsport 13th ADAC Kart Masters - KF3 13th Bridgestone Cup Europe - KF3 KSM Motorsport 7th 2013 ADAC Kart Masters - KF3 6th German Kart Championship - KF Junior 14th 18° South Garda Winter Cup - KF3 21st Andrea Margutti Trophy - KF Junior 16th WSK Euro Series - KF Junior 28th CIK-FIA European Championship - KF Junior 17th 2014 German Kart Championship - KF Junior Morsicani Racing s.r.l. 10th ADAC Kart Masters - KF Junior 11th CIK-FIA European Championship - KF Junior Forza Racing 37th

Racing record

Racing career summary Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position 2015 Ginetta Junior Championship HHC Motorsport 10 2 1 1 4 211 11th 2016 ADAC Formula 4 Championship Motopark 24 0 0 1 0 25 19th 2017 ADAC Formula 4 Championship ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg 20 0 0 2 2 71 13th Italian F4 Championship BWT Mücke Motorsport 9 0 0 0 0 28 NC† 2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship Van Amersfoort Racing 21 0 0 0 0 1 22nd Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF 2019 Formula Regional European Championship Van Amersfoort Racing 24 0 0 1 0 149 7th Macau Grand Prix HWA Racelab 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF 2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship Campos Racing 16 0 0 0 0 0 29th European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Richard Mille Racing Team 3 0 0 0 0 2 25th 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 9th 2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Team Abt 14 0 0 0 0 8 18th FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 Richard Mille Racing Team 6 0 0 0 0 31 13th 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Algarve Pro Racing 1 0 0 0 1 15 21st 2022 European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Algarve Pro Racing 4 0 0 0 1 23 13th 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 Pro-Am 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 5th 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship PHM Racing by Charouz 18 0 0 0 0 6 23rd Macau Grand Prix Van Amersfoort Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 11th 2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship Van Amersfoort Racing 20 0 0 0 0 0 29th 2025 Indy NXT HMD Motorsports 1 0 0 0 0 18 26th BOSS GP - Formula Pro Class R&B Research and Wealth Management 2 2 2 2 2 52 7th European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Algarve Pro Racing Test and development driver 2026–27 Formula E Opel GSE Formula E Team Test and development driver † 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) Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 DC Points 2015 HHC Motorsport Ginetta G40 BHI1 BHI2 DON1 DON2 THR1 THR2 OUL1 OUL2 CRO1 CRO2 SNE1 SNE2 KNO1 KNO2 ROC1 ROC2 SIL1 SIL2 BHGP1 BHGP2 11th 211

Complete ADAC Formula 4 Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Pos Points 2016 Motopark OSC11 OSC12 OSC13 SAC1 SAC2 SAC3 LAU1 LAU2 LAU3 OSC21 OSC22 OSC23 RBR1 RBR2 RBR3 NÜR1 NÜR2 NÜR3 ZAN1 ZAN2 ZAN3 HOC1 HOC2 HOC3 19th 25 2017 ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg OSC11 OSC12 OSC13 LAU1 LAU2 LAU3 RBR1 RBR2 RBR3 OSC21 OSC22 OSC23 NÜR1 NÜR2 NÜR3 SAC1 SAC2 SAC3 HOC1 HOC2 HOC3 13th 71

Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 DC Points 2018 Van Amersfoort Racing Mercedes PAU1 PAU2 PAU3 HUN1 HUN2 HUN3 NOR1 NOR2 NOR3 ZAN1 ZAN2 ZAN3 SPA1 SPA2 SPA3 SIL1 SIL2 SIL3 MIS1 MIS2 MIS3 NÜR1 NÜR2 NÜR3 RBR1 RBR2 RBR3 HOC1 HOC2 HOC3 22nd 1

Complete Macau Grand Prix results Year Team Car Qualifying Quali Race Main race 2018 Van Amersfoort Racing Dallara F317 20th 19th DNF 2019 HWA Racelab Dallara F3 2019 27th 21st DNF 2023 Van Amersfoort Racing Dallara F3 2019 17th 15th 11th

Complete Formula Regional European Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 DC Points 2019 Van Amersfoort Racing LEC1 LEC2 LEC3 VLL1 VLL2 VLL3 HUN1 HUN2 HUN3 RBR1 RBR2 RBR3 IMO1 IMO2 IMO3 IMO4 CAT1 CAT2 CAT3 MUG1 MUG2 MUG3 MNZ1 MNZ2 MNZ3 7th 149 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) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 DC Points 2020 Campos Racing RBRFEA RBRSPR RBRFEA RBRSPR HUNFEA HUNSPR SILFEA SILSPR SILFEA SILSPR CATFEA CATSPR SPAFEA SPASPR MNZFEA MNZSPR MUGFEA MUGSPR 29th 0 2023 PHM Racing by Charouz BHRSPR BHRFEA MELSPR MELFEA MONSPR MONFEA CATSPR CATFEA RBRSPR RBRFEA SILSPR SILFEA HUNSPR HUNFEA SPASPR SPAFEA MNZSPR MNZFEA 23rd 6 2024 Van Amersfoort Racing BHRSPR BHRFEA MELSPR MELFEA IMOSPR IMOFEA MONSPR MONFEA CATSPR CATFEA RBRSPR RBRFEA SILSPR SILFEA HUNSPR HUNFEA SPASPR SPAFEA MNZSPR MNZFEA 29th 0

Complete European Le Mans Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points 2020 Richard Mille Racing Team LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 LEC SPA LEC MNZ ALG 25th 2 2021 Algarve Pro Racing LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 CAT RBR LEC MNZ SPA ALG 21st 15 2022 Algarve Pro Racing LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 LEC IMO MNZ CAT SPA ALG 13th 23

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 2020 Richard Mille Racing Team Tatiana Calderón Beitske Visser Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 364 13th 9th 2021 Richard Mille Racing Team Tatiana Calderón Beitske Visser Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 74 DNF DNF 2022 Algarve Pro Racing John Falb Jack Aitken Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 361 25th 20thLMP2 Pro-Am5th

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points 2021 Richard Mille Racing Team LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 SPA ALG MNZ LMS BHR BHR 13th 31

Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Pos Points 2021 Team Abt Audi R8 LMS Evo MNZ1 MNZ2 LAU1 LAU2 ZOL1 ZOL2 NÜR1 NÜR2 RBR1 RBR2 ASS1 ASS2 HOC1 HOC2 NOR1 NOR2 18th 8

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) Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Rank Points 2025 HMD Motorsports STP BAR IMS IMS DET GMP RDA MOH IOW LAG LAG POR MIL NSH 26th 18 Season still in progress.