Molina: “It is an incredible feeling to race with the Ferrari Shield”

Miguel Molina’s roll of honour features thirty-three starts in the FIA WEC and two wins with Maranello’s production-derived cars, including one at Bahrain in November 2022 in the last race of the LMGTE Pro class era. The 34-year-old Catalan driver stepped onto the Hypercar stage in the 499P number 50 he shares with Antonio Fuoco and Nicklas Nielsen. In their 2023 World Championship debut at Sebring, the crew secured pole position and third place, boosting confidence ahead of round two, the challenging 6 Hours of Portimão on 16 April.

Beginnings. “Sport has always been part of my family,” said Molina, a Prancing Horse official driver since 2017. “My father was a driver and passed his passion for cars and racing on to me. My mother played handball.” This fascination with racing has its roots in childhood and is mainly linked to certain images and places full of memories. “I won my first race at eight. Thus began a beautiful and intense journey,” he continued, “marked by many sacrifices and several difficult junctures. But that’s part of professional life, although it’s difficult for a 14-15-year-old to be away from home so much. However, in the end, the rewards repaid me for everything I gave up and every sacrifice.”

Passion. For a young Catalan, the Barcelona circuit, which has hosted the Formula 1 Grand Prix and many domestic and international championships since the early nineties, holds a powerful attraction. “When I discovered that Fernando Alonso had started to make a name for himself in motorsport, my interest grew. I went to the Circuit de Catalunya to watch Formula Nissan. They invited me into the Campos Racing pit. Antonio Garcia and Fernando were racing for that team,” Molina continued. “It was the first race I witnessed from inside a garage. Years later, I competed with Antonio at Le Mans and other races. I enjoyed meeting him again as an opponent.” 

Endurance. From karts to single-seaters to “closed” wheels, Molina’s sporting journey led him to join Ferrari to take part in the World Endurance Championship with the 488 GTE (racking up 32 races, two wins and 14 class podiums), then in the 2023 season to debut in the Hypercar class with the 499P. “At first, I knew little about endurance,” the driver admitted, “but once I stepped into this world, I learned a lot. The biggest surprises? That the races are very long, from six to 24 hours, but require total concentration from the first to the last lap. Today endurance races resemble ‘sprint’ races because if you don’t perform at 100% at every point, you lose the chance of winning.” 

The extra dimension of the Ferrari official driver is inextricably linked to the Hypercar that heralded the Prancing Horse’s return to the top class half a century after its last appearance. A challenge connected with the concept of the team. “The relationships are excellent within our group, and I think this is obvious. I think I am at the peak of my competitive career with this project,” he continued. “I have achieved a great goal, but now I need to set new ones. The work done is paying off.” 

Excitement. Adrenaline, passion, sacrifice and joy are concepts that are part of a professional driver’s everyday vocabulary. “The moment of greatest tension is when you prepare to climb into the cockpit. In that instant, you realise that in a few minutes, you have to give your all on the track,” Molina explained. “At that stage, I try to imagine all possible situations so that I am ready to face them. However, when I step out of the car and only have a two- or three-hour break before a new driving stint, I try to optimise my time. It’s tricky because I need to rest, eat, and sleep. It is essential to have a clear idea of what to do and how to adapt to situations.” 

“My” Hypercar. The Girona-born driver chooses three words to describe the Ferrari 499P: speed, technology, and passion. “Speed is a feeling we experience from when we are young, so much so that we reach the point where we no longer realise how fast we are on the track.” This feeling peaks at the wheel of the Maranello Hypercar. “The first time I climbed into the 499P in July 2022,” he said, “I realised that I would have to make a greater physical effort. I recognised that I would need to train more because the car is much more challenging than the GTs. It was a radical change, particularly on a physical level because of the strain on the neck, which is subject to so much pressure.” Miguel Molina’s new sporting era will continue in the 2023 season. After Portugal, there are events at Spa-Francorchamps, Le Mans, Monza, Fuji and Bahrain.