Sophia Flörsch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sophia Flörsch
Flörsch in 2024
Nationality	German
Born	(2000-12-01) 1 December 2000 (age 24) Grünwald, Germany
FIA Formula 3 Championship career
Debut season	2020
Current team	Van Amersfoort Racing
Racing licence	FIA Silver
Car no.	21
Former teams	Campos Racing, PHM Racing by Charouz
Starts	54 (54 entries)
Wins	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00
Podiums	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00
Poles	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00
Fastest laps	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00
Best finish	23rd in 2023
European Le Mans Series career
Debut season	2020
Current team	Algarve Pro Racing
Car no.	19
Former teams	Richard Mille Racing Team
Starts	8
Wins	0
Podiums	2
Poles	0
Fastest laps	0
Best finish	13th in 2022
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	2020–
Teams	Richard Mille Racing Team, Algarve Pro Racing
Best finish	9th (2020) in LMP2
Previous series
2021 2021 2019 2018 2016–2017 2015	FIA World Endurance Championship Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters FR European Championship FIA F3 European Championship ADAC Formula 4 Ginetta Junior Championship
Awards
2020	Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year

Sophia Flörsch (born 1 December 2000) is a German racing driver. She is known for her speed and determination in various racing series. Sophia has competed in Formula 3, DTM, and the FIA World Endurance Championship. She has also achieved podium finishes in ADAC Formula 4 and the ELMS. Sophia made history as the youngest race winner in the Ginetta Junior Championship. In 2023, she joined the Alpine Academy, a program that helps young drivers develop their skills. She is set to race in Indy NXT with HMD Motorsports in 2025.

About Sophia

Sophia Flörsch was born in Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany. She grew up near Munich. Sophia enjoys karting, skiing, and windsurfing. Her racing heroes are famous drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Michael Schumacher.

Sophia's Views and Awards

Sophia is an ambassador for groups like the Schaeffler Group. She also supports non-profit organizations such as Dare to be Different and Wings for Life. These groups help people and promote diversity in sports. In February 2020, Sophia won a special award called the World Comeback of the Year. This award recognized her amazing return to racing after a serious accident.

Sophia's Racing Journey

Karting

Sophia started karting, which is racing small open-wheel vehicles, in 2005. From 2008 to 2014, she raced in many karting events across Europe. She was the first female and youngest driver to compete in several championships. These included the 2008 SAKC Championship, 2009 ADAC German Championship, and 2010 European Championship Easykart. Her talent was noticed by Red Bull.

Ginetta Junior

In 2015, Sophia raced in the 2015 Ginetta Junior Championship season. She drove for HHC Motorsport. During this season, she won two races and finished on the podium two other times. She made Ginetta history at Thruxton. She became the youngest driver to win a Ginetta Junior race. She was also the first new driver to win two races in one weekend. Her season ended early because of money problems. At that time, she was third in the championship. She even named her car Paul!

Formula 4

Sophia Flörsch racing at Sachsenring in ADAC Formula 4 in 2016.

In 2016, Sophia joined Motopark to race in the ADAC Formula 4 championship. Her car was #99, and she called it Hugo. In her very first race, she became the first female driver to score points in an ADAC Formula 4 race. She almost got her first podium in her third race. She finished fifth after another car hit her. She also set her first fastest lap at Zandvoort.

The next year, she raced for ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg. Her car was pink and sponsored by BWT. She earned her first podium finish at the Sachsenring. She repeated this success at Hockenheim, where she also set two fastest laps.

FIA Formula 3 European Championship

2018 Season

In March 2018, Sophia tested a Van Amersfoort Racing car for the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. In July, she officially joined Van Amersfoort Racing. She finished 22nd in the standings. She scored one point at the Red Bull Ring.

2018 Macau Grand Prix

In November 2018, Sophia raced in the Formula 3 World Cup at the 2018 Macau Grand Prix. During the main race, she was involved in a big accident. Her car hit another car and crashed into a photographers' area. Sophia was conscious after the crash and taken to the hospital. She was diagnosed with a back injury. She had a long surgery, which was successful. Her team leader said there was "no fear of paralysis." This showed her incredible strength and determination.

Formula Regional

After her recovery, Sophia continued her racing career. In 2019, she raced for Van Amersfoort Racing in the Formula Regional European Championship. Even though the team joined the championship late, Sophia did well. She finished 7th in the standings. She scored points in all 24 races and set a fastest lap at the Red Bull Ring.

Formula 3

2019 Macau Grand Prix

Sophia was chosen by the HWA Team to race in the 2019 Macau Grand Prix. She had support from several companies. Unfortunately, she could not finish the race due to a mechanical problem with her car.

2020 Season

For the 2020 FIA F3 Championship, Sophia signed with Campos Racing. It was a tough year with several mechanical issues. She finished 29th out of 35 drivers. Her best finish was 12th place. She was the first woman to race in this championship since it was formed.

2023 Season

Flörsch driving the Dallara F3 2019 during the 2023 Spielberg Formula 3 round.

Sophia returned to the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2023. She joined PHM Racing by Charouz. She also became a new member of the Alpine Academy.

Sophia worked hard to collect data in the first few races. She then achieved her and PHM's first points with a 9th place at the Red Bull Ring. However, she lost the points after the race due to a disqualification. She showed great skill by passing many cars in later races. At Spa-Francorchamps, she finished 7th in a wet race. This earned her 6 points. It was a big moment for women in motorsport. She became the first female driver to score points in the series. It was also a great achievement for her team.

2023 Macau Grand Prix

At the end of the 2023 season, Sophia raced in the 2023 Macau Grand Prix again. She rejoined Van Amersfoort Racing. This time, she finished the race in 11th position. This was a great improvement from her previous attempts.

2024 Season

Sophia is set to continue racing with Van Amersfoort Racing for the 2024 season.

Endurance Racing

Sophia Flörsch at the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In 2020, Sophia also started racing in endurance events. She joined the Richard Mille Racing Team in the LMP2 class of the 2020 European Le Mans Series. This included racing in the famous 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans. She finished 9th in that race.

She continued with Richard Mille in 2021 in the FIA World Endurance Championship. She helped the team finish in the points five times. She also got a podium finish in the 2021 European Le Mans Series season finale. She became the first woman to finish on an overall podium in that series.

In 2022, Sophia joined Algarve Pro Racing for the European Le Mans Series. She and her teammate took second place in their first race together. She also raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Despite a sensor issue at the start, her team fought back to finish fifth in their class.

DTM

Alongside her endurance racing, Sophia also competed in the 2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM). She raced for Abt Sportsline with support from Schaeffler. It was her first season in GT3 cars. She scored 8 points in the last six races.

Indy NXT

In December 2024, Sophia Flörsch signed with HMD Motorsports. She will compete in the 2025 Indy NXT series. This means she will be racing in the United States.

Racing Records

Racing career summary

^† Sophia did not race in enough rounds to be ranked in the championship.

Images for kids

• 

  Sophia Flörsch in 2024.

• 

  Sophia Flörsch racing at Sachsenring in ADAC Formula 4 in 2016.

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  Flörsch driving the Dallara F3 2019 during the 2023 Spielberg Formula 3 round.

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  Sophia Flörsch at the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans.

See also

In Spanish: Sophia Flörsch para niños