Sophia Floersch was born to go fast.
Her dad raced on the local and regional level in their native Germany and was still karting when Sophia was a toddler. When she was 4, her dad let her sit in his kart.
That sparked a love for racing.
It doesn’t hurt that her mom is an adrenaline junkie with a love for fast cars, too. Plus, being from Germany, where the autobahn has no speed limit, the Floersch’s have the need for speed.
“The passion for cars is just there in my family,” she said. “That's kind of how I got it into my blood already.”
Floersch will drive fast cars on racetracks in America this season, joining HMD Motorsports for her rookie INDY NXT by Firestone campaign.
Earning her way to racing full time in America is what the German driver described as one of her career achievements.
That’s saying something.
Floersch, 24, is the first woman to score points in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. She debuted in that series in 2020 and raced the last two seasons. Alongside her single-seater pursuits, she has also raced in the European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 class, earning two podium finishes. She was quickest in the 2021 WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain, after finishing 2020 in the ninth position in the all-female team of Richard Mille Racing at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Her career trajectory pulled her to INDY NXT by Firestone in a development series she thinks will provide an ample opportunity to take the next step forward, whether that be an NTT INDYCAR SERIES or Formula One opportunity.
“I think in the end, as a racing driver, you always are looking for what's best for you, for your career, where you're able to show your true potential, and where you also have the chances to do so,” she said. “It wasn't easy to go to America because it's a complete different side of the Earth, but in the end, we made it, and I'm super proud of it, of the whole team around and also really thankful to HMD for making it possible and believing in me.”
Floersch initially tested INDY NXT by Firestone machinery last fall at Barber Motorsports Park and shined in her second test in a two-day session Jan. 15-16 at Sebring International Raceway. She ended up sixth overall and fifth among full-time drivers.
The rapid adjustment to these cars has been simple – the car suits her style, and she has fun driving it.
“The car is sick, especially the turbo – it's really cool,” she said. “This car with those tires, with the Firestones, they really make it easier to adapt than another championships because you can do mistakes and can really try and find the limits. So, that's something I really, really like.
“And then the car is just really cool to drive. There's no other way to say it. It has a lot of power. It gives you the confidence to push. You can get a feeling for the car and go on that limit a little bit more. It's kind of why you started racing so many years ago because it's pure racing, and that's nice.”
Floersch noted her age and experience driving different race cars can create an advantage. But while the goal of winning is always on top of a racer’s mind, Floersch paused to place expectations on a rookie season.
She is aware she will have six days inside the car before heading to the March 2 season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, a track where she has no experience. In fact, she’s never seen many of these tracks on the schedule, let alone race on an oval. There is a lot to learn in a little amount of time, but she is embracing the land of opportunity for a reset.
“It's kind of you get thrown into cold water,” she said. “But on the other side, to be honest, I'm really motivated to do it, because I feel like in Europe, you’re kind of in that bubble and in that spiral where it's always the same people, you don't have a fresh start or so on. America is a complete fresh start, where I think over the winter (in the past), I was always never as hyped as I am now. I'm really happy that we actually did the choice to go to America.”
Overcoming obstacles is something Floersch has already proved she can handle. She made highlight reels after a frightening airborne crash in the 2018 Macau Grand Prix, where she suffered a spinal injury.
Floersch didn’t want a crash to end her career nor define it. She chose to fight back and returned to racing five months after the accident.
“In the end, crashes are part of (racing), we all know the risk there,” she said. “When I had that crash, I was always sure that I want to come back, just because it is my life. I finished school and I graduated and so on, but I never had anything else. What I loved so much was racing and sitting in a race car and driving in circles, let's say so it was always what I just enjoy to the fullest. So, it was always for me to come back. And I know that not just myself, but everyone as well on track, was super lucky, and we all had many angels watching us.
“But I think I also took it as a sign for me to be able to keep on racing. I just wanted to prove as well that also, if you're a woman and you have something like this, you can you come back and you're tough enough, and you will go back to Macau and race there. That's just something I wanted to prove, as well. I'm happy, obviously, I did that choice. It was not the easiest weeks, let's say, but the best decision I did in my life.
“As a racing driver, you have to do that decision yourself. You decide if you continue or not, and if you don't continue, it's also fair enough. But for me, it was the right decision, and I'm happy that I did, and I'm super happy with what I've achieved since then. I’m also pleased that I'm now heading to America to do INDY NXT and then hopefully be one step above next year.”