Molina: “The hardest thing about Le Mans is sleeping two hours, getting into the car and going 340 km/h at night”

Last year, Michael Molina (February 17, 1989, Lloret de Mar) any driver’s dream came true by competing for the first time in the highest category of 24 Hours of Le Mans as official pilot of Ferrari. He returns in one of two red cars as the Italian giant returns to the top class of ‘race races’ after a 50-year absence.

In the past, the Catalan has shown his immense talent in his 6 previous participations in Le Mans with AF Corse Ferrari (from 2017 to 2022) in the GT category, with a podium (third) in 2022. However, the dream turned upside down when the La Sarthe Circuit He played with him. A stone hit and damaged the radiator of his car.

His car was the fastest in qualifying, with a historic pole, and faster than the other Ferrari 499P number 51. However, this problem left Molina and his teammates with no options and the race will be won by another car. After that, Molina will have to get up thinking about revenge on this track in 2024, again in Hypercar with Ferrari behind the wheel of car number 50.

First of all, thank you for attending Mundo Deportivo and good luck this weekend. How are you? How will you tackle this 24 Hours of Le Mans?

Thanks a lot. i’m fine We will face the 24 Hours of Le Mans with full enthusiasm. Especially last year, when we stayed close. We have been looking forward to it since the day after last year’s edition, wanting to be here again on this circuit, to relive the experience and above all, eager to start and with a lot of motivation.

Last year a stone crossed your path, like a stone, and hit the radiator. How many times have you thought that? Is it so hard to break out of that negative thinking loop after a stroke of bad luck?

The loop took a while. Weeks, months… but well, we recovered a bit, we managed to recover positions in the championship (World Endurance) at the end of the year and well, I think we camouflaged it a little at the end of the year, finishing third behind two Toyotas. Third in the first year of the Hypercar category for Ferrari is a very good result. But it is true that the day after Le Mans 2023 we want the year to pass quickly to return to the situation we are in today and start the race of the year, which as I say is always the goal we have, this year as well.

What was that thought process in recovery? Do you need help from a coach?

I have been working with both sports psychologists and coaches for many years. It is important and true that after moments like this you have to turn the page, you have to move forward. Fortunately, my experience in this world (of racing) comes from a long time, from many years and that also helps, knowing that an opportunity is lost, but another one can come at any time and you have to be ready to go back try it. That’s how I put it. We raised it with Nicklas (Nielsen, his crewmate) and Antonio (Fuoco, his other crewmate). That is why I say that from the next race series after Le Mans the aim is to try to fight for the highest possible position in the championship. And that was the end of the season, which I think we had a very, very good season.

Carlos Sainz Sr. once told me. that “you hate Dakar, you just want something like that to happen at LeMans, don’t you?

Okay, yes. Much depends on the result. I think he also meant it because it depends on how things go. You may be very excited or want to turn the page quickly. But Le Mans is an incredible race. Since we came here you have had an experience that is hard to explain. It’s hard to make people from the outside feel what you’re experiencing here at Le Mans. Not just for driving on the track. Also the whole experience that you live outside, the number of people, the spectators there for the Drivers Parade (parade in the city center of Le Mans) on Friday, the tension in the qualifications and, above all, before the career. Saturday morning, when you start to feel that it’s time to do it, is an experience, a feeling and a feeling that is difficult to describe.

What do you like most about Le Mans? And what do you hate the most?

What I liked most was, as I say, the whole experience. From the moment you arrive to the moment you leave, go through all the stages of the race, all the classification training stages, the previous test, the city, the weigh-in, everything. The whole experience itself was probably what I loved the most, and what I hated… well, a few things, really. Yes, it is true that when you finish the race you are very tired, both psychologically and physically, and, on top of that, if you don’t get a good result, it hurts you even more. That may be the negative side, but the positive wins more than the negative.

What was the hardest thing you had to deal with on the track? There are many complex elements such as the night, the constant overtaking of low cars, never making mistakes, the rain…

The most difficult thing for me is when you wake up after sleeping for an hour and a half, more than two hours, and you have to get in the car at three or four in the morning and less than half a minute at 340 km/ h in Hunaudières straight lines. That for me is the most complicated thing, or maybe what you say: oyster! that nothing will fail, that he is awake, that he is on time and all will be well.’

You will need to drink at least four coffees, Ferrari espresso…

And more than four! Definitely

How do you live that routine? I mean, I don’t know if you can sleep because it’s hard to sleep and disconnect from those nerves, that adrenaline, looking at the hours and saying, ‘I don’t want to sleep, I want to keep going. the race.’

Fortunately, I’m someone who can fall asleep anywhere and anytime, even with loud speakers next to me. And I can really rest for a few hours or three hours, it depends on what is established in the program. That’s not my problem. But there are people who do not sleep and are poor.

Is it adrenaline that keeps your eyes open?

Exactly. When you’re about to leave, back in the car, the adrenaline… there’s so much going on in the Le Mans laps that you stay active. The problem is sometimes when there is a ‘Safety Car’ that takes a long time, you go down a bit, but generally it’s not a problem.

And you must keep the meal plan and everything is fine. Do you let your nerves eat you?

I’ve been doing this race for seven years and more or less the rules are always the same. You need to hydrate yourself well, eat something before going out on the track and, above all, when you finish, recover as much as possible, eat well after exercise and rest, above all i- optimize the hours and minutes we have to work. the maximum to be able to be as fresh as possible by the time we get back to the car.

For example, for someone who will debut this year, like Valentino Rossi, what advice would you give him?

Well, then let him eat, rest and don’t let himself be impressed by everything around him, let him concentrate on what he has to do.

How does Ferrari make it to the twenty-four hours of Le Mans? Do you think there can be an even fight with the current BOP?

I can’t speak about BOP because of regulations, but I can say we are ready to come. We have a year of experience in this category (Hypercar). Yes, it’s true that last year we achieved victory with the #51 car, but I think later, from that race to now, we’ve changed a lot, we’ve gained more experience and we’ll try to apply it to the maximum this year and be able to fight for victory, which is the goal.

Driving at Le Mans must have been a dream. Driving for an official Ferrari in the top category (Hypercar) is more… but what does it mean to win?

This will end the purpose of it all. I have been in motor sport for many years and I believe that the 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most important races in the world and to have the opportunity to compete in it with an official Ferrari, you cannot ask for more . And if we win, it will be a bit of a full circle from when I started when I was seven years old. I think it’s a good time. I think on a personal level I’m at a very good level. And as we showed last year, I think we are ready as a team, both with Nicklas and Antonio, to fight for victory and hopefully one day it will come.

A few days ago, another Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz, also won at Roland Garros and made all the covers. A few years ago, Alonso won Le Mans and like all the covers. What would you expect if you won? Are you looking forward to that recognition? I don’t know if you think Spain is a bit under-recognized in general.

I wish! Hope all covers are covered. That would be amazing. I have always felt that the media in Spain loved me very much. When I was in the DTM, I was followed a bit, also in the World Endurance Championship. But it is something incredible to be able to take another step and let people know that there are many drivers of a very good level in motorsports, that apart from Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, that all the drivers that are there is given more effect. But I never complained. Yes, it’s true that Formula 1 dominates the covers and newspapers more, but it is what it is and I won’t fight it either. But it would be cool. It would be cool to be on the covers because I’m sure I’ll keep them all.

This year he will share the track with Alex Palou, a good friend of his. What will it be like to share the asphalt and experience fighting on it?

I’ve known him since he was racing with us on the karting team, when he was eight or ten years old, and we’ve always maintained a great friendship. For example, on Tuesday morning, when he arrived, he already wrote to me what to do and how the situation is here, and this Wednesday we talked for a long time before taking photos of drivers for 24. Hours from Le Mans. I asked him how he was coming, if he was motivated. And I said; ‘Yes Yes. I came with great enthusiasm and a desire to learn and live the experience.’ For me it is also special, because we have experienced a lot together, we have a very good relationship and it will be special to share the track in the highest category of this race. So, looking forward to it, let’s see if we can find ourselves on the track. I’ll try to put the batteries in and that’s it. But it was very comfortable, very happy to have him here too and to share this experience with him in any way.

We wish you good luck. Thank you for attending Mundo Deportivo.

Well thank you very much. See you at Le Mans. A hug.