Former IndyCar star Sophia Floersch picks Detroit Lions’ NFL draft pick

Sophia Floersch is again in the spotlight, albeit this time not for her racing acumen. The German motorsport star recently made an unexpected appearance in the recent NFL Draft picks.

The 24-year-old swapped the racing circuit for the gridiron for the ongoing remote pick for the next superstars of American football, and she had the honor of announcing the 171st pick from Cologne, Germany.

Making the announcement, as seen in a video shared on her Instagram account, the former Indy NXT driver selected Miles Frazier for the Detroit Lions.

“Hello everyone, my name is Sophia Floersch. Today, I am welcoming you for the very first time to the new Detroit Lions exhibition at the German Sport and Olympic Museum in Cologne, open until June. So without further ado, let's get to the pick. With the 171st pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select Miles Frazier, guard, LSU. One pride worldwide,” she concluded.

Miles Frazier is an offensive guard who is a college product of Louisiana State University and participated in the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl event. The 23-year-old is among the seven players from LSU to be selected in this year’s draft.

Shifting focus to Sophia Floersch, the ever-vocal motorsport star is currently without an active team following her uncharacteristic split with Indy NXT outfit, HMD Motorsports.

Floersch and the team opted to part ways following the first race of the season — the St. Petersburg Grand Prix — amid reports of disagreements with her sponsors.

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Sophia Floersch slams FIA over latest eSports development

Sophia Floersch has not held back her frustration with the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) following its recent announcement regarding eSports. The German racing driver criticized the governing body in a post shared on social media.

The FIA had announced it was organizing a global eSport competition for girls and women above the age of 16, with the aim of promoting increased women’s participation in motorsports.

However, Sophia Floersch appeared far from pleased with the new competition, making it clear that there was no need for women to be separated from men, as the discipline does not rely on physicality.

Quoting the FIA announcement on her X account, she wrote:

"Segregation continues. So why aren't girls able to play computer games against boys? Sad development. Esport is not boxing, not swimming, not running. I think it's more a performance of the brain, reaction, and concentration. Training is probably the most decisive factor. Why is the FIA pushing this gender segregation?"

Sophia Floersch has built a reputation for speaking out on issues related to gender and segregation in motorsports. Although the former Alpine Driver Academy product is yet to provide an update on her possible return to full-time racing, she has been involved in several other activities away from the track, frequently sharing updates on her social media.