Sophia Floersch secures eighth top-20 of the season in challenging Spa weekend

"As we head into the summer break, we will recentre and come back for the last round in Monza with a clean and calm head” - Sophia Floersch faced a mixed weekend at Spa Francorchamps, where she showcased promising speed in practice but encountered difficulties in qualifying and was taken out in the feature race, yet managed her eighth top-20 of the season in Race 1, as she looks forward to ending the season on a high at Monza.

Photo credits: XPB

Sophia Floersch had a mixed weekend at Spa Francorchamps, penultimate round of the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship, which saw the Van Amersfoort driver showcasing very promising speed in practice, before difficulties in qualifying as well as an accident in the feature race - where she was taken out by a competitor while running in 16th and making up positions - marred her weekend. A solid race 1, however, resulted in a 19th place finish - her eighth top-20 of the season so far.

One of the fan and drivers' favorites, the Belgian of Spa Francorchamps is renowned for its fast, iconic corners and unpredictable weather conditions, making it a true test for any driver; for Floersch, returning to this circuit also held particular significance as it was the venue where she made history last year by becoming the first female driver to score points in the current format of the FIA Formula 3 Championship, finishing seventh in the feature race.

Sophia therefore aimed to replicate such performance and get closer once again to the points-paying positions, leveraging her experience.

Her 2023 season had been defined by consistency and steady improvement: despite racing with a team in its debut season in the series, Floersch ended the year often battling just outside the top ten. In 2024, the German racer was on the other hand severely hit by misfortune, especially with technical issues and accidents not of her own making, ultimately hampering her campaign.

Nevertheless, Floersch showcased good racecraft and often recovered well in the races despite starting just outside the top 20 - in a series format that heavily depends on qualifying performance. Her ability to navigate through the field and make up positions during the races, however, resulted in a few notable finishes, including a P12 at Imola and a P11 at her favorite track, the Red Bull Ring, where she narrowly missed out on scoring points.

The ninth round of the season began with typical Spa weather in a rain-affected practice session. In the tricky conditions, Floersch had a promising start, running inside the top 20 and ultimately finishing 19th fastest with a time of 2:18.115 - setting a positive tone for the rest of the weekend.

Qualifying turned out once again one of the most pivotal moments of the entire weekend.

Sophia Floersch navigated a drying track and intense competition, initially securing P19 and improving to P16 with quick sector times. With 10 minutes to go, the drivers pitted for a new set of tyres, gearing up for the final push laps.

However, the quest for the perfect slipstream and the strategic battle to be the last car to set a time led to a massive traffic jam on track, with many drivers slowing down in the final sector. Due to a technical delay, Floersch went out late and faced the risk of missing her final qualifying attempt due to the congested track.

She then overtook several cars to navigate through the traffic and ensure she could make a final run; despite her efforts, there were no significant improvements in the closing minutes of the session and she retained her P19 position.

However, a disappointing post-session development saw Floersch as well as other drivers being handed a three-place grid penalty for overtaking off-track while navigating the traffic jam.

“It was a tricky weekend in Spa-Francorchamps", Sophia said. "We were looking good in Qualifying during the first run but unfortunately due to a technical delay on my car we were unable to follow our warmup procedures as we would have wanted which ultimately affected our final result."

Despite a damp track, all drivers started on slicks in Saturday's Race 1. Floersch had a clean start, maintaining her position in the chaotic La Source hairpin which saw a few contacts just ahead of the Alpine Academy racer.

A spin on top of Raidillon for Esterson brought out the safety car, with incoming cars luckily avoiding the Jenzer car. Gabriele Minì led the race early on, followed closely by Dino Beganovic and Tim Tramnitz. Floersch, despite starting from P23, kept it clean and focused on moving forward.

The race resumed on lap four and Floersch began chasing Matias Zagazeta, closely following the Jenzer driver and keeping Cian Shields at bay - in an eight-car group battling for position. Sophia eventually fell behind Wisnicki but continued to push, setting personal bests and keeping up the pace as the track improved. By lap eight, Floersch had set a personal best lap time of 2:10.840 and was the fastest car in the second half of the field: she found a way past Wisnicki and then closed in again on Zagazeta and Boya.

Floersch continued to make up ground but ultimately ran out of time to make a move. Following a few post race penalties, she completed the first race of the weekend in 19th position, marking another top-20 finish.

Dino Beganovic took victory after a great pass for the lead at the restart, with Gabriele Minì and Noel Leon completing the podium.

In Race 2, Floersch was aiming to make more progress starting from P19, again on a damp track and with everyone starting on slick tyres.

Floersch had a great getaway, managed to avoid an incident ahead of her and gained two positions, moving to P17 before settling in P18.

Meanwhile, first time pole sitter Callum Voisin maintained the lead but faced increasing pressure from Sebastian Montoya and Leonardo Fornaroli, while Alex Dunne dropped to fourth.

On the second lap, Martinius Stenshorne spun just behind Floersch and was collected by Tuukka Taponen, causing Shields and Sztuka to pick up damage as well. This incident brought out the safety car. Sophia, fortunate to avoid damage from being hit by Stenshorne, gained a place on Zagazeta and prepared to restart from P17.

Floersch soon climbed to 16th and was aiming to make further progress - but unfortunately her race was cut short after 8 laps when Joseph Loake attempted an overly optimistic move into Bruxelles corner. This maneuver resulted in Loake losing control and hitting Floersch, sending her Alpine-liveried car into the gravel and ending her race while she was on course to a recovery drive. Loake, who managed to rejoin the race, was handed a 10-second penalty for causing the accident.

"Starting from 19th we tried to make the best out of it in both races, but we were unable to improve in the Sprint Race and although we were able to move up to 16th in the Feature, contact ended our race early", Floersch summed up. "As we head into the summer break, we will recentre and come back for the last round in Monza with a clean and calm head.”

Despite setbacks, her pace in both qualifying and the races was promising; she now looks forward to the final race meeting of the FIA Formula 3 season at Monza, where she will be aiming to finish the season on a high, building on her strong performance from last year at the iconic Temple of Speed.