Sophia Floersch makes return to ELMS paddock with APR in Thursday test
- RACERS
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Sophia Floersch made a return to the ELMS paddock on Thursday at Le Castellet, as the German racer got back behind the wheel of the Algarve Pro Racing LMP2 Oreca during the pre-event test — hinting at a possible return to sports car racing.
Sophia Floersch made a surprise return to the ELMS paddock on Thursday at Le Castellet, as the German racer got back behind the wheel of the Algarve Pro Racing LMP2 Oreca prototype during the pre-event test for the 2025 4 Hours of Le Castellet, the second round of the season—hinting at a possible imminent return to sports car racing.
Floersch completed 13 laps aboard the #25 Oreca 07 Gibson, with a personal best of 1:53.403, showing a quick readaptation to the prototype after last racing in the LMP2 category in 2022. That season, she contested the European Le Mans Series with Algarve Pro Racing and also made her third start at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where she finished fifth in the LMP2 Pro-Am class.
Although her presence has been described as a one-off appearance in the collective test, her return behind the wheel of the APR LMP2 car raises the possibility of future openings. Floersch recently parted ways with her team in Indy NXT—IndyCar's top feeder series—after just one round due to budgetary issues.
Floersch has built an impressively diverse racing career, gaining experience in both single-seaters and sports cars over the last few years. After racing in F4 in both the Italian and German championships, she progressed to Formula 3 machinery, competing in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship and the Formula Regional European Championship in 2018 and 2019. She advanced to FIA Formula 3 in 2020 before shifting her focus to endurance racing.
She in fact made her debut in sports cars in 2020, then made history with a podium finish in the European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 class in 2021. She continued to challenge for top results throughout 2022, racing for Algarve Pro Racing and adding another overall podium to her resumé. Floersch also competed in three editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, securing a top-10 finish in her class on debut.
In 2023, she returned to FIA Formula 3 and became the first female driver to score points in the current championship format, finishing seventh at Spa-Francorchamps. In 2025, she made the move to Indy NXT, earning 12th place on her debut before her campaign came to an early end.
A return to endurance racing in prototype competition would be a natural next step for the young German, who has previously shown strong pace in LMP2 machinery and proved herself to be a highly capable silver-rated driver—at a time when sports car racing continues to thrive in its modern golden era.