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FormulaNerds spoke to Sophia Floersch, racing for Van Amersfoort Racing in F3, all about her Silverstone weekend so far as well as being a part of the VAR team and Alpine Academy.
The 2024 season marks Alpine Junior Sophia Floersch’s third season in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. The German driver previously raced in F3 in 2020 before having a year in Le Mans and then returning to F3 last season.
In 2023, Floersch raced for PHM Racing, which has rebranded as AIX Racing for this year. However, she now races for Van Amersfoort Racing, a team that she has been a part of before.
With 30 drivers on the F3 grid, Floersch is the only female racer. She was the first woman to score points in this championship, however, her 2024 season sees her currently in 23rd with no points. Her teammates, Noel Leon and Tommy Smith, are P15 with 24 points and P25 with zero points, respectively, in the Drivers’ Standings.
But, despite not having points to her name, Floersch remained in high spirits when speaking to FormulaNerds about the 2024 season so far as well as this Silverstone weekend and racing for VAR.
‘This championship is super tough’
The 2024 F3 season is over halfway through with only three rounds left after this weekend in Silverstone. For Floersch, this championship is not unknown; however, when speaking to FormulaNerds, the VAR driver admitted just how tough this championship is. Floersch said:
“This championship is super tough, it’s one of the toughest championships you can do.
“The field is super close together so it really comes down to details, especially in qualifying. It’s insane how close it is on some racetracks.
“We’re learning, we’re making progress. I think the whole team has made some big progress from the beginning of the season till now.
“But I think we just need some more luck actually on our side, I think the races are quite strong on the pace and so on, but quali is still weak.”
She elaborated on what racing with VAR is like, having been a part of their team in the past. Speaking to FormulaNerds about her switch to VAR from PHM Racing, Floersch said:
“Good. I raced for Van Amersfoort Racing in the past, so kind of came back home, lets say. But all going good. the team is motivated but as I said it all really comes down to details in the end.”
Racing in the wet at Silverstone
Throughout this season, Floersch’s highest result is P11 in the Austrian Feature Race last weekend. Today’s Sprint Race was rescheduled due to the weather conditions, but for Sophia, the rain just means “it’s going to be fun”.
I going racing today! The rain doesn’t bother me ?? #BritishGP #Sophia #racegirl #unscripted #Alpine #racHer #inspire #RoadRoF1 #F3 #F2 #F1 pic.twitter.com/YNAYIT9tm5
— Sophia Floersch (@SophiaFloersch) July 6, 2024
Sharing her thoughts, Floersch said: “I would say welcome to the UK. To be honest, I think it’s going to be fun. We had this situation also last year when it was dry, damp, rainy, everything.
“So for sure there’s going to be a lot of action, I hope, and then we’ll see hopefully, quali was a little bit unlucky with traffic but we need to gain some places.”
The F3 Sprint Race is later this evening at 18:00 UK time and Floersch will line up in P25 for the race.
Headline Image: Formula Motorsport Limited