Teenager Sophia Floersch vows to 'come back' to motorsport after horror Macau crash

The German comments on her condition after 11-hour operation as her team share her optimism of a full recovery

In this Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018, picture, teenage driver Sophia Floersch of Germany, top, goes over Japanese driver Sho Tsuboi's car while flying off the track at high speed on a tight right-hand bend on lap four. Floersch will undergo surgery for a spinal fracture after a spectacular airborne crash in the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix on Sunday. (Tony Wong/Apple Daily via AP)
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Sophia Floersch has expressed her determination to return to motorsport following her horrific crash at the Formula Three Macau Grand Prix.

The German driver wrote on Facebook, following an 11-hour operation on a fracture in her spine, that she was grateful for the support she had received and was now plotting a return to action.

"I'm going to come back!" she wrote on Facebook as she begins her recovery from the crash that saw her Van Amersfoort Racing car fly through the air and into safety netting at the Guia Circuit's Lisboa bend, a sharp right-hander, after being launched off a kerb.

"I survived the operation which took 11 hours well," she added. "Hope from now on it only gets better. I have to stay a few more days in Macau until I’m transportable."

In an amusing tribute to the chassis that she survived the accident in, she said "Dallara built a very good chassis" with thumbs up emojis either side.

Her Van Amersfoort Racing team said in a statement that "the initial signs give a positive outlook towards her recovery".

"We are extremely happy that she is now recovering and that everything went extremely well," the statement added. "There's no fear of paralysis whatsoever."

Of her chances of returning to racing, Frits Van Amersfoort, the team principal of  Van Amersfoort Racing, told the BBC: "Luckily enough winter is now beginning so she will have time to recover and I am quite sure that she will be back."

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Floersch said she was grateful for he messages of support from the public she had received, and also thanked all the medical support units involved in helping her since the accident.

Of the other individuals involved in the incident, she added: "My thoughts are also with everyone who was involved in the accident. I hope everybody is healthy."

Japanese driver Sho Tsuboi, two photographers and a marshal were also taken to hospital for treatment.

The marshal suffered a broken jaw, while another victim had abdominal pain from a lacerated liver, according to the medical reports.