Fearless Floersch still wants to floor it in F1

SOPHIA Floersch readily agrees that it took about a million guardian angels to escape a horror crash in Macau with mild injuries, and the teenage German driver is now looking forward to continuing her motorsport career.

Floersch underwent an 11-hour operation after the accident on November 18 after losing control of her Formula Three car at a speed of just under 280km/h. She hit another driver before being catapulted through the air and through fencing.

A plaster on her neck is the only visible reminder of the crash, but she also has a constant reminder in the form of a titanium plate inserted where she fractured a cervical vertebra.

“It is crazy to know that I can do almost everything again after just three weeks, and only have some light pain,” the 18-year-old says.

Floersch no longer has to wear a neck brace but still has to be careful in this area as her rehabilitation continues.

She admits that she would wonder “is the person in there still alive?” when she watches the video, and adds that “the doctors told me that I had a million guardian angels”.

“But they are upbeat that I will hopefully be fit to drive again by late February or early March,” she says.

Floersch remains with her Van Amerfoort Racing team and plans to compete in the 2019 Formula European Masters, which follows on from F3. The series takes place on German Touring Car weekends and the season starts early May.

“We will have a car ready for her as soon as she is fit again,” says team chief Frits van Amersfoort.

The ambitious Floersch hopes for good results in her comeback and her ultimate goal remains a place in Formula One.

Floersch’s dream is to achieve this by 2022 or 2023. She never wasted a thought on retirement after the crash because motorsport is her life.

“It wouldn’t make sense for me to give it up because of such an accident,” she says.

For the same reason, the fearless Floersch also wants to return to the street course in Macau.