Sophia Floersch sends clear message of ambition with 2025 INDY NXT announcement as she joins Hailie Deegan

Sophia Floersch announced on December 19, 2024 that she will be joining HMD Motorsports for the 2025 INDY NXT season. Floersch is a German racing driver who's previously raced in the European Le Mans Series and Formula 3. She shared her expectations and ambition about her debut INDY NXT season.

“I’m excited about joining HMD Motorsports and coming to the United States to race in the INDY NXT by Firestone Series. My aspiration has always been to race with the best of the best. From the beginning of my career, I’ve worked very hard with my team daily towards that goal. I’ve raced in different categories in most of the racing markets in the world. It was only natural for us to try the U.S. now, as it is the biggest racing market worldwide," Sophia Floersch said (via INDY NXT).

“The United States is more open to embracing a female racer, so this makes me very excited and optimistic about the things to come. The sport, the racing, the cars, and the tracks are real and pure. It's great to be welcomed so positively and friendly. You can feel the real racer energy inside HMD Motorsports. I can hardly wait and will be very happy when it starts in March in St. Pete.”

Sophia Floersch tested with HMD Motorsports in November at Barber Motorsports Park and completed 92 laps. The 24-year-old becomes the second female driver to join HMD Motorsport for the upcoming season. The team had already announced the signing of Hailie Deegan, the former stock car driver, in October.

Deegan participated in the INDY NXT Chris Griffis Memorial test in October after the announcement and completed a total of 67 laps during the test. She continues to prepare for the upcoming INDY NXT season.

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HMD President’s statement about Sophia Floersch’s signing

Sophia Floersch began her open-wheel racing career in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship in 2016. After a couple of years in the F4 championship, she moved to the European F3 championship in 2018 and then to FRECA in 2019. She joined the FIA F3 championship in 2020 to race with Campos Racing.

Formula 3 Championship - Round 10 Monza - Practice & Qualifying - Source: Getty

After racing in the touring car and Le Mans Series for the next two years, she returned to F3 for 2023 and 2024. As she now makes the move to the American open-wheel racing scene, the HMD President Mike Maurini spoke highly of her. He said (via INDY NXT):

“We are excited to have Sophia confirmed for INDY NXT in 2025. She has a great team behind her, and we feel she will be able to make waves in North America. With her ultimate goal to advance to the NTT IndyCar Series, we look forward to helping her improve and achieve success in INDY NXT and help try to advance her career to the next level.”

Sophia Floersch joined the Alpine Academy (formerly known as the Renault Driver Development program) in 2023 and is still backed by the French manufacturer.