Sophia Floersch joins Campos Racing in FIA F3

In a surprise move, German racer Sophia Floersch announced that she will join forces with Campos Racing for the upcoming FIA Formula 3 campaign.

After several speculations regarding her future in single seaters, young German star Sophia Floersch announced last month a switch to the fully-female LMP2 outfit Richard Mille Racing, where she will target her first Le Mans 24 Hours alongside other highly-ranked female drivers Tatiana Calderon and Katherine Legge.

Despite her endurance schedule, Floersch kept suggesting that her main goal remained a seat in a Formula 3 series to keep her Formula 1 chances alive. With her long-time partner HWA team completing their line-up early on, the seats on the 2020 grid were being filled at a fast pace and only few places were officially left at MP Motorsport and Campos.

On Wednesday, Campos Racing confirmed that the talented lady was in fact signed to the Spanish outfit for the 2020 FIA Formula 3 championship, joining Alessio Deledda and Alex Peroni.

The 19-year old from Munich, Germany, will thus have the chance to compete in the third-tier of Formula 1 feeder series, after completing the newly-born FIA Formula 3 Regional European Championship in seventh place for Van Amersfoort Racing in 2019. She was one of the only two drivers (together with series winner Frederick Vesti) to finish every race in the top-10.

Floersch, who has made worldwide headlines after her scary crash at Macau in 2018, has been making motorsport history since young age: she became the youngest winner in the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2015 and was the first ever woman to score points in the ADAC German Formula 4 in 2016.

Sophia recently won the prestigious Laureus Award for best Sporting Comeback of the Year following her recovery from a spinal injury, and is now widely regarded as one of the most promising female talents worldwide. She famously rejected taking part in the female-only W-Series championship, always claiming her intentions to compete and excel in mixed-series.

She will work once again with driver-coach and former GP3 racer Facundo Regalia, founder of the Road to Success coaching program. Floersch will get behind the wheel of the Campos Racing F3 car on March 1-3 for the first time, as the series will contest its only pre-season collective testing session in Sakhir, Bahrain.

The German had the opportunity to previously drive the Dallara F3 car at Macau last November, as she came back to the famous Guia Street Circuit one year after her accident. She retired following a technical issue during the main race.

“I am very happy to be competing in the FIA F3 Championship together with Campos Racing." - said Sophia. "It is going to be my first season in the actual Formula 3 car with Pirelli tyres, DRS and the Mecachrome engine."

"Without any test days I have to learn a lot but I am looking forward to competing against the best drivers. For me it’s important to get better each race weekend, work together with the team and have fun. It’s going to be a great year. The experience of Adrian Campos and his team will for sure help me.”

Former F1 driver and President of the Spanish squad Adrian Campos commented that it was a "great privilege to have Sophia in our ranks."

"She is one of the most talented drivers and a true example of perseverance. Sophia will keep fighting to continue making progress in one of the toughest championships on the international scene".

The FIA F3 calendar features some clashing rounds with the European Le Mans Series and it is yet to be disclosed which events will Floersch prioritize.

2020 FIA Formula 3 Full Calendar:

21/22 March - Sakhir, Bahrain

2/3 May - Zandvoort, Netherlands

9/10 May - Barcelona, Spain

4/5 July - Red Bull Ring, Austria

18/19 July - Silverstone, UK

1/2 August - Budapest, Hungary

29/30 August - Spa Francorchamps, Belgium

5/6 September - Monza, Italy

26/27 September - Sochi, Russia

In Sophia's words: