Miguel Molina: “When Ferrari enters a championship, it is to win, although we come with humility”

He fighting the world is attracting the interest of big motorsport brands and, of course, Ferrari you don’t want to be left behind. The Scuderia want to rule WEC with the new one 499P and because of that he trusts Miguel MolinaSpanish pilot who has been part of the team for several seasons in the category GT. For the Catalan, this step means reaching the pinnacle of his sporting career and he hopes he will be able to put the world of fighting in the spotlight of motorsport. In an interview with MD, he explained in detail everything that the nearest future could hold.

Congratulations on making the leap into the Hypercar 499P project. What does this mean for you?

This is the TOP moment of my career. It’s a project that people don’t recognize here yet, but I think it’s a world-class championship, with many brands involved and it makes it very competitive. For me, that means I’m at the peak of my sports career and I’m ready, that’s how I feel, and I really want to start.

What did you think when they confirmed you were part of the project?

So happy because this is something I’ve been looking for for a long time and I’ve been building the project from scratch. So materializing it in confirmation is something that, as I say, is the highest point on a professional level. Everything is really positive. When we found out, it was too early for public confirmation. During all these months we worked on developing the car and at the same time we were impatient to know which drivers for the project.

What are the car’s strengths and where do you think there is more room for maneuver?

I believe that the strongest point is the human quality of the project and it shows that from the beginning, in a short time, the level of the car is very high. Since July, with the first car on the track, little time has passed and progress has been great since then. Recently the project is on track.

There is a lot of work behind, but there is very little left for the first race. Where we need to see where to improve is from the first appointment at Sebring. We are very calm people, very humble. Reliability will be the most important thing and that is where we put the most effort.

Whenever Ferrari is in a competition, it is necessary to be competitive. But, when you debut, what real options do they have?

As you say, when Ferrari enter a championship it is only to win. And with this pressure to be a world reference brand and that is the goal. But from the inside it is clear that we have other brands that have more experience than us. They have long been in the Hypercar or LMP1 category like Toyota or Peugeot. And we come to a way where there is a lot of humility. We have to do our job. We got to Sebring without demanding ourselves. The important thing is to gain experience in the first races and arrive in better conditions for the peak of the season: Le Mans.

How do you approach an edition of Le Mans where you have the car to win for the first time?

Yes, it is true that we have struggled in the GT category in recent years, but of course, winning the general is very special. It is a race that for me is the most important in the world, not only because of the race itself, but also because of what it represents and this year because it is a very special edition. And Ferrari’s return to the premier class makes it even more special. It’s a pressure situation, at the pilot level because being in this project makes it something very important. But we are ready and willing to experience it and be in a situation where we can fight for the general. Although the year will be difficult and we need to take the first steps.

Apart from Le Mans, are there any other appointments marked in red on the calendar?

The first race at Sebring will be very special as it will be the first of the project. There are a lot of expectations around this race and in general it will have a lot of emotions because there is a lot of work behind it. Putting it all on track and seeing where we are is going to be very special.

What concerns us most now is knowing what our situation is. Because we can do tests and see information about other brands … but until you start riding at the same time you will not see what your situation is. We must know where we are and where we must work in 499P.

Is there any brand that can surpass Toyota’s advantage today?

I believe that Toyota, with more experience than others, has a point of favoritism. But this is a category that, after all, will be fair. Logically, other brands are very strong, last year they were more expensive and this is not a walk. This is a very complex category where even reliability fails Toyota. Being a complicated car to manage, you never know. Any of the brands can be first, including us. But we will go to a calmer situation, to finish races with reliable and affordable goals.

Did you set any specific goals in this first year at Hypercar?

Now we have to consider it race by race. For the youth of the project, above all. We know it’s going to be complicated. From the second year we can start to define goals. We must be calm and do the work we have to do. We must be patient in situations where we see that we are not what we expected. It is an ambitious project but it is clear that we must achieve a certain serenity.

What would you highlight from your colleagues Antonio Fuoco and Nicklas Nielsen? How do they complement each other?

Well, the truth is, we have a balanced team. Especially both Antonio and Nicklas are very safe car drivers and very fast. And I can bring experience and peace of mind. They are younger than me, in the endurance world I have more baggage in recent years and they are riders I get along with very well. With Giovinazzi we fought for the World Championship last year until the last race and Nielsen has experience with prototypes. Last year he did the whole year in LMP2 and showed his full potential. The three of us are very happy in the same car.

Fernando Alonso’s victory in 2018 at Le Mans and the World Resistance Championship brought more fans to the WEC. Are you sure to achieve the same by being with Ferrari?

Hopefully so and it’s not just up to us, it’s up to the whole world. To try to give it more visibility. As you said, with Alonso’s win, the category became more recognized at the Spanish level. Not only because of Fernando, Antonio García, for example, won it on several occasions. Logically when Alonso came and won, he gave more visibility and I hope that my arrival at Ferrari and being in the premier class has this circulation. And we all work on it.

He was at Daytona with the GTs, now he’s competing in Dubai and the WEC starts at Sebring in no time. Have time to focus on a single project?

It’s being complicated, I won’t lie to you. Also, it’s been a month since I had my third daughter. These are quite difficult months, but I am convinced that everything will be worth it. Daytona is also important for me and for Ferrari because it is the 296 project where the GT3 debuted, which is in the DNA of the brand, which gives so many successes and we must not abandon it. It is also important to be close

Is it too hard to balance so much travel and family life?

Above all there are many unexpected events. We have a calendar, but it varies from week to week. There are weeks when I’m gone and only after two or three days I have to come back because there’s another activity to do. But it’s part of the job. Sometimes there are difficult situations and this is something we are used to but we are privileged to do what we do.

What do you think is the essence that differentiates the WEC from other motorsport disciplines?

I believe that no matter how long races are sometimes, until the last moment anything can happen and you never really know how it will end. In many cases, for example, in the 24H of Le Mans, until the last few hours, several times nothing was decided. This makes it a really interesting competition.