After debuting in FIA F3 in 2020, switching to endurance racing and coming back to single seaters after a two-year break from the category, Sophia Floersch scored her first points in one of the most prestigious and competitive feeder series championships in the world – becoming the first woman to ever do so.

In a chaotic feature race at Spa-Francorchamps, the German Alpine Academy driver was able to climb up from 24th place on the grid all the way up to seventh spot, thanks to a great strategy call and some top-notch driving. Although she’s far from done, this historic achievement is further proof that her 2023 campaign is a clear step forward from her rookie season three years ago.

By Daniele Spadi

When news broke out that Sophia Floersch would come back to the FIA Formula 3 Championship for a second season after making her debut all the way back in 2020, people were curious to see how she would get on – especially after collecting a lot of experience and prestigious results in endurance racing.

Floersch signed a deal with PHM Racing by Charouz, after the German team stepped up to the big stage by entering both FIA F2 and FIA F3. Expectations weren’t the highest at the start of the season, as both Floersch and PHM needed to find their footing in the series together – a combination that often fails to work in favour of both parties.

Right from the start, it was evident that Floersch would be consistently fighting to be in the top half of the field. The Alpine Academy driver and Rac(H)er Ambassador quickly revealed herself as the main PHM car to look out for, often beating teammates Piotr Wiśnicki and Roberto Faria and showing better pace than them on most occasions.

In a field as close as this year’s Formula 3 roster, however, a far-from-perfect car is usually not enough to fight for the top 10 – and a newly-formed team like PHM was always going to be in a tough spot in their first ever season in the championship.

Floersch tried everything to maximise performance from the car, but with a 16th place in the sprint race around the Albert Park Circuit as her best result in the first half of the season, her goal of becoming the first woman to ever score points in the series was looking difficult to achieve.

Making history

If we have learned one thing throughout Floersch’s career, however, it is that she isn’t the one to back down from a fight – even when the odds aren’t in her favour.

The 22-year-old had her first chance of achieving her goal in the feature race around the Red Bull Ring, one of her best tracks results-wise. It was around the Austrian racetrack that she achieved her first points finish in F3 machinery, finishing 10th in race two in the 2018 Formula 3 European Championship.

Five years later, another big chance presented itself – and she did not let it slide. A couple of incidents further up the field and a great, clean drive by the PHM driver mean that she would rise from 20th on the grid to ninth.

However, it wasn’t to be. The German was later disqualified for a technical infringement, meaning that she would need to do it all over again in order to claim her – and her team’s – first points of the season.

Despite the disappointment, Floersch had plenty of positives to take with her to the next few races: she was starting to look more comfortable in the car, and her racecraft was evidently better than ever. Hungary was a testament to this, as the German was able to fight through the field and finish both races in the top 20 despite a troublesome qualifying session that saw her start from P28.

The race weekend at the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps was by far her best performance of the season. Although she started from 24th on the grid after a difficult qualifying session, she managed to stay out of trouble in a challenging sprint race to cross the line in 12th.

Mixed conditions in the feature race meant that some drivers decided to take a risk and start the race on wet tyres, a gamble Floersch took just minutes before the start of the race. That decision turned out to be the perfect one, as she used the tyre advantage to her favour to gain plenty of places – climbing the standings and fighting for fifth together with Sebastian Montoya and Caio Collet in the final few laps of the race.

Floersch then finished in seventh, meaning that she had finally managed to achieve her goal of becoming the first woman to score points in the championship’s short history.

Noticeable improvements

As the German gets ready for her last race weekend of the season, there’s plenty to be proud of already. Coming back to the series three years after making her debut is an impressive feat on its own, and although her results aren’t maybe as incredible as she had dreamed, her overall progress as a racing driver is what truly matters.

Her rookie campaign with Campos in 2020 was rather disappointing, as the lack of experience at that level resulted in many mistakes. Since then, the German has developed into a reliable driver that is able to make the best out of a tough situation, showing the improvements that were expected of her after spending two seasons in the endurance racing world.

Her experience in longer races ultimately came in clutch on more than one occasion this season, especially in tricky conditions that required long-term thinking and steady nerves. Other drivers would make unusual mistakes, while Floersch avoided the chaos brilliantly and kept her head down through it all.

As to what her 2023 campaign means for her racing future, it is quite challenging to say. This season hasn’t been all roses by any stretch of the imagination: the main issue is that the PHM driver is still struggling on one-lap pace, which puts her in a tough spot for both races.

Many times this season, the 22-year-old looked like she had the race pace to score some points or at least actively challenge for them, but a poor qualifying performance would mean that she would need to gain at least ten places in order to fight for the top 10 – something that is almost impossible in a chaos-free Formula 3 race.

The final round of the season, which will be held at the iconic Autodromo Nazionale Monza, could be her final chance to impress. With her 2024 plans still in the dark, the German could truly benefit from another historic finish in order to further enhance her chances of progressing through the feeder series ladder.

Header photo credit: Alpine Cars