Sophia Floersch: Indy NXT opportunity with HMD Motorsports a ‘fresh start’

The green flag that starts every new season of racing signifies a new beginning for drivers, teams and fans. 

In the case of Sophia Floersch, the green flag on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida on March 2 won’t just signify the beginning of her rookie season in the Indy NXT Series but also her first season racing in the United States. 

The 24-year-old from Grunwald, Germany signed a deal with Indy NXT powerhouse HMD Motorsports on Thursday. 

“For the last two years, I ran Formula 3,” Floersch said. “When you race in Europe, you look abroad and you follow America, Japan and all those racing series across the world. I always said that America would be an opportunity for me. In Formula 3, the last race was in September. From then onwards, we were seeing what options we had for next year.”

Floersch says her foray into American auto racing is a “fresh start” in a country where the sport presents a plethora of differences from its European counterpart. 

“It is different to Europe,” Floersch said. “I would say it’s a lot more open, (there’s) less politics. The sport is more in focus, which is really nice. If I talk to other European drivers, (Christian) Lundgaard, (Marcus) Armstrong, for example, they’ll say that the best decision of their life was to go to America because the whole sport is different.”

A journey to Nashville for IndyCar’s season finale set the wheels in motion for Floersch, who started talking with HMD Motorsports during her trip. 

HMD Motorsports is an organization with a deep trophy case and an even deeper talent pool. Along with Floersch, the team will field Indy NXT entries for Josh Pierson, Hailie Deegan, Caio Collet, Tommy Smith, Bryce Aron and Nolan Allaer in 2025.

According to HMD Motorsports president Mike Maurini, running such a vast and successful organization is no easy task. 

“We have just over 50 full-time employees,” Maurini said. “We have five tractor-trailers, we have 10 cars. There’s a lot of moving parts.”

“The factory is huge,” Floersch chimed in. 

Fast cars aren’t the only things that emerge from HMD’s huge race shop, however. The young talent the team boasts should feel hopeful about their chances of moving up the IndyCar in the near future. 

“We’ve been able to advance six drivers to IndyCar, whether it be full-time or part-time, over the past three seasons,” Maurini said. “For drivers in our program next year, that’s the goal for them. I know Sophia’s goal is to run the Indianapolis 500. Collet’s goal is to do the same. We do our hardest to make sure they have the necessary tools to succeed.”

As far as expectations for the 2025 season go, Floersch and Maurini want the results to speak for themselves. 

“I don’t want to say any place in the championship yet because I think it’s too early after one test,” Floersch said. “But in the end, every single racing driver wants to win. That’s why you do it, that’s why you’re an athlete. That’s the same for me. But I think you have to be realistic. Ovals, for example — I’ve never driven on an oval. But I think I have a great team behind me that can make the most of it.”

“I’m not concerned about Sophia in any way,” Maurini added. “As we approach the season, we’ll probably have a list of goals. You can’t say our goal is to be fifth in the championship and be on the podium every race. You want that, but we have to crawl before we walk.”

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.