Floersch moves to DTM in Abt's third Audi R8 LMS
Abt will expand to three Audi Sports R8 LMS GT3 cars in the DTM this season after signing former FIA Formula 3 driver Sophia Floersch.


As reported by Autosport last weekend, Floersch will join renowned Audi-affiliated squad Abt for the DTM’s first season under GT3 regulations, partnering 2013 champion Mike Rockenfeller and factory Audi driver Kelvin van der Linde.
With this announcement she becomes the third woman to compete for Abt in the German championship after Katherine Legge (2009) and Rahel Frey (2012).
The 20-year-old will make her first appearance with Abt during the first pre-season test at Hockenheim next month, before making her race debut in the category at Monza in June.
Floersch will be supported by female race engineer Laura Muller and female team manager Maike Frik, both a first for the Abt team.
“I’m really looking forward to competing in the DTM,” said Floersch.
“The partnership with Schaeffler and Abt Sportsline is great and makes me confident for my first season. I’m very proud to be given the chance to prove myself against such a strong field of drivers.”
Abt said it was able to add a third DTM entry thanks to the support of the Schaeffler Group, where Floersch serves as a brand ambassador.

#50 Richard Mille Racing Team Oreca 07 - Gibson: Tatiana Calderon, Sophia Floersch, Beitske Visser
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
She was present at last year’s season finale in Hockenheim, driving the DTM Electric prototype car that the series is jointly developing with Schaeffler.
"We are very much looking forward to this joint adventure also in the DTM, working with Sophia and the cooperation with Schaeffler,” said Managing Partner Hans-Jürgen Abt.
“We now have a DTM veteran, a rookie and a lady in the team, that’s really something motorsport fans can already look forward to.”
Floersch’s DTM programme will run concurrently to her FIA World Endurance Championship duties with the Richard Mille Racing team.
At present, the rescheduled Le Mans 24 Hours round in August clashes with the DTM’s visit to the Nurburgring, but the DTM calendar could undergo further changes due to the fluid nature of the coronavirus pandemic.
Floersch had hoped to run another parallel LMP2 and Formula 3 campaign in 2021 having last year told Autosport it was "too early" for her to give up on single-seaters.

DTM drive "natural" next step for Cassidy and Red Bull
Button's team withdraws McLaren entry from DTM

Latest news
Teenager Oeverhaus to become youngest DTM driver at Nurburgring
Theo Oeverhaus will become the youngest driver to race in the DTM when the 17-year-old makes his series debut at the Nurburgring later this month with the Walkenhorst BMW team.
Can the DTM’s reigning champion turn around his sluggish title defence?
With 67 fewer points and 14 positions lower in the standings than at the equivalent point last year, Maximilian Gotz has had a tough start to his DTM season. The Mercedes driver explains his struggles, and how he’s going about addressing them
DTM evaluating adding Nurburgring Nordschleife to 2023 calendar
The DTM is believed to be considering a return to the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife as early as 2023, but it must overcome several hurdles to make the race a reality.
How Audi DTM heavyweights Rast and Muller compare
The GT3-based DTM is a different proposition to the Class 1 era that ended in 2020, but Audi’s top protagonists remain the same. Rivals Rene Rast and Nico Muller have now swapped teams, making their Team Rosberg and Abt engineers uniquely qualified to reveal what makes the pair tick
The longest-serving Red Bull driver revealing F1’s true brutality
His day of days in Formula 1 came at Indianapolis in 2005, a day grand prix racing strives to forget. But Patrick Friesacher, the long-serving Red Bull lieutenant, remains active today driving a two-seater that provides ordinary people with a glimpse of an F1 car’s savage potential, including this writer...
How the DTM has come back stronger from its Norisring nadir
OPINION: Questionable driving standards and farcical team orders meant the DTM's first season under GT3 regulations ended under a cloud. But the organisation has responded firmly by banning team orders and welcomed new manufacturers, making for an intriguing season ahead as new and returning names prepare for battle
The remarkable career of a 'classy' champion who rejected politics
Over two decades as a factory driver with Audi and BMW, Martin Tomczyk earned the respect of team-mates and rivals as a hard but fair racer. After calling time on his racing career, the 2011 DTM champion sat down with Autosport to look back
The other Hamilton conqueror seeking career revival
On his rise through the ranks before reaching Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton was usually a cut above the rest. But he never truly asserted himself over a Mercedes-backed fellow Briton who traded single-seaters for touring cars and is now seeking new opportunities after a year largely spent on the sidelines
How the DTM's shambolic finale poses awkward future questions
OPINION: The scenes at the Norisring as Mercedes used blatant team orders to secure the first DTM title of the new GT3 era totally undermined the credibility of the championship. But as well as overshadowing the season, it also presents uncomfortable questions to series bosses about the direction it is headed in
How Audi's new DTM star is channeling Rast to achieve his "childhood dream"
Having learned the ropes in GT3 alongside Rene Rast, Kelvin van der Linde is in line to take up the three-time champion's baton as Audi's new DTM king. From humble origins in South Africa, it's been a remarkable journey so far for the current series leader, but he knows that the 2021 title is a long way from settled just yet
The number-crunching behind the new-look DTM's equalisation drive
Switching to GT3 regulations marked a fresh start for the DTM in 2021, but it has also drawn a line in the sand against other series using similar cars by engaging AVL Racing to develop a bespoke Balance of Performance system. Here’s how it works
The initial verdict on DTM's move to GT3 cars
OPINION: Facing collapse last year, the DTM has shifted its philosophy from a championship for silhouette-based touring cars to GT machines not too dissimilar to those racing across multiple series worldwide. But despite some initial BoP-based teething troubles, there were some pleasant findings as the 'new DTM' got underway at Monza