- Teenager drives HWA Racelab Formula Three car on team’s debut at new look track
- Lisboa corner where German crashed one of a number of new safety measures for 66th year of grand prix
German teenager Sophia Floersch made an emotional return to the scene of her dramatic crash a year on at the 66th Macau Grand Prix on Thursday.
Driving the HWA Racelab No18 car, the 18-year-old took to the track during Thursday morning's practice session and then in the Suncity Group Formula 3 Grand Prix qualifying session in the afternoon.
She described her return to the track as a "very, very emotional moment" in a Tweet after driving in the practice session.
That tweet also thanked her teams and partners for past and future support.
Very very emotional moment Thanks to all my teams and partners supporting me in the past and in the future @hwaag_official https://t.co/sB9HPPvWCi
" Sophia Floersch (@SophiaFloersch) November 14, 2019
She had revealed her desire to drive in Macau on social media in October but her return to the famous street circuit was only confirmed this month after she received last-minute funding.
Floersch, who returned to racing just four months after the horror crash, also thanked the HWA team for the opportunity to put last year's grand prix behind her.
"So thankful that you give me the chance to close this chapter," she wrote on Twitter after the practice session.
This was in response to HWA AG tweeting a photo of Floersch's drive with the caption "What a feeling to drive on this track, especially for @SophiaFloersch!".
Floersch finished 23rd in the afternoon qualifying session but teammate Jake Hughes set the fastest time on the team's debut in Macau.
So thankful that you give me the chance to close this chapter ️ https://t.co/cFpx5yGL5y
" Sophia Floersch (@SophiaFloersch) November 14, 2019
He took provisional pole with a fastest lap of 2:06.793. The pair, alongside fellow HWA driver Keyvan Andres and the rest of the 30-driver Formula 3 field, will return to the track for another practice session on Friday morning and an afternoon qualifying session ahead of Sunday's showpiece.
It is a new-look circuit this year following Floersch's brush with death last year. Organisers have moved the inside barrier at the 90-degree Lisboa corner inward.
The German's Van Amersfoort's F3 car careered along that barrier after hitting Carlin driver Jehan Daravula's rear right wheel on the high speed straight between the Mandarin and Lisboa corners.
She entered the Lisboa bend at 276km per hour, clipping a raised kerb then hitting the top of Japanese driver Sho Tsuboi's TOM'S Dallara-Toyota car. Floersch went through the catch fencing before landing backwards in a photographer's hut.
Floersch was rushed to the Conde S. Januario Hospital along with Tsuboi, two photographers and a race marshal. The 17-year-old underwent 11 hours of spinal surgery at the Macau hospital.
The new look Lisboa corner is just one of a number of changes to the notorious Guia circuit, which has seen three deaths in the past decade.
How did Floersch survive Macau Grand Prix horror crash?
British motorcyclist Daniel Hegarty died in 2017 after hitting a safety barrier during the feature race. Portuguese rider Luis Carreira and Hong Kong's Phillip Yau Wing-choi died within two days of each other at the 2012 event.
Motorcyclist Carreira came off his bike in qualifying while Yau was killed after crashing his Chevrolet Cruze into a barrier while competing in the CTM Macau Touring Car Cup.
The safety measures for this 66th grand prix were announced by organisers in September. In addition to the changes at the Lisboa Bend, where the photographer's hut has also been removed, there are seven other notable edits to the circuit for this year.
Eleven months ago Sophia Florsch survived a horror crash at 170mph.This comeback is incredibleWatch more https://t.co/hZP2ij3IKX #changethegame pic.twitter.com/AVEhkD6LRk
" BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 11, 2019
Tecpro barriers have replaced the tyre stack at the San Francisco corner that follows Lisboa, while foam protection mattresses have also been installed at several points around the course.
These measures were all necessary for Macau to be granted approval by the FIA for the new FIA Formula 3 Championship cars.
The cars will have access to DRS for the first time in Macau this year, on the straight between Mandarin and Lisboa corners. The top speed in pre-race simulations was 285km/h but there has been speculation that drivers could clock even faster speeds.
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