SOPHIA FLOERSCH Calls Out FIA’s Gender-Segregated eSports: ‘Why Aren’t Girls Able?’

April 25, 2025

by Pranay Bhagi // from www.sportskeeda.com

• SOPHIA FLOERSCH didn’t hold back when the FIA announced their new Girls On Track Rising Star eSports competition, calling out what she sees as unnecessary gender segregation. The former Indy NXT driver made a compelling point on social media: eSports isn’t about physical differences, it’s about ‘performance of the brain, reaction and concentration.’ When virtual racing comes down to skill and training rather than physicality, her question hits hard: why can’t girls compete directly against boys?
• The timing of FLOERSCH’s criticism stings extra considering her recent departure from HMD Motorsports after just one Indy NXT race at St. Petersburg. While the team stayed quiet about reasons, industry sources point to sponsorship issues—a problem that’s all too familiar for women drivers. Now she’s posting cryptic LinkedIn updates about ‘change being a great opportunity,’ but hasn’t announced her next racing move for 2025.
• The FIA’s new competition partners with Advance SimRacing and iRacing to take the top ten women competitors to Macau for a live final during their 2025 Extraordinary General Assemblies week. While the initiative aims to promote women in motorsports eSports, FLOERSCH’s pushback raises legitimate questions about whether separate competitions truly advance equality or just reinforce the idea that women need their own category to compete.

ABB FIA Formula E, esports, indy nxt, iracing