Last weekend’s Macau Grand Prix was marred by a Formula 3 crash that seriously injured 17-year-old Sophia Floersch.
While travelling down the main straight at the difficult street circuit, Floersch ran into the rear of a rival, ripping off the left-side wheels of her racer. She then flew over the kerbs in the entry to a right-hand corner, clipping the car of Japanese driver Sho Tsuboi, and soaring over the tire wall and fences before slamming into a cabin housing photographers.
Floersch’s team, Van Amersfoort Racing, estimate that she was traveling at 276 km/h (171.6 mph) when she hit the other car and rocketed into the photography bunker.
The horrifying crash left Floersch with a fractured spine and injured two photographers. One of these photographers, Chan Weng Wang, lacerated his liver while another photographer, Hiroyuki Minami, was taken to hospital but released shortly afterwards. A marshal also suffered a broken jaw.
Fortunately, Floersch is recovering after undergoing an 11-hour surgery for her injuries.
On Wednesday, the driver took to her Facebook to say that she will return to the sport once fully healed.
“I survived the operation which took 11 hours. Hope from now on it only gets better. I have to stay a few more days in Macau until I’m transportable. I want to thank all of my fans for every single get-well wishes, which I now start reading.
“I’m going to come back btw. Dallara built a very good chassis,” Floersch wrote.
The race was ultimately won by 19-year-old British driver Dan Ticktum, while Michael Schumacher’s son, Mick, clinched this year’s championship.