Team player Molina relishing GTE-Pro opportunity
From the low of being dropped from Audi’s DTM line-up after 7 years to the high of being added to the Ferrari’s LMGTE Pro line up at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it has been a rollercoaster few months for Miguel Molina.
The Spaniard originally planned to drive the full FIA World Endurance Championship season alongside Thomas Flohr and Francesco Castellacci in the GTE Am Spirit of Race Ferrari, but was additionally confirmed on the eve of The Prologue as a third driver for AF Corse’s No.71 488 GTE at the WEC’s signature event.
The announcement means Molina will not be able to complete the season alongside his team-mates and fight for the GTE Am championship, but he was delighted to be called up to partner Davide Rigon and Sam Bird for his first experience of Le Mans, so soon after joining Ferrari.
“I’m really happy with the opportunity Ferrari has given me this year, it’s like a dream,” said Molina. “For me, it’s more important to have the trust and the confidence from Ferrari – this championship is very tough and if they trust me with going to the Pro class at Le Mans, that’s a big responsibility.”
Despite his promotion for the third round, Molina has not lost sight of his duties in helping Spirit of Race team mate Thomas Flohr learn the ropes of the WEC.
“You need to help the amateur because he’s the guy who will make more of a difference,” Molina explained. “We have been working already with Thomas and it’s looking good for the category. We will give him as much support as he needs because that’s the way to work in this class.
“I have always been involved to try to help new drivers so I am used to that. It’s a big challenge but I’m really looking forward to this year, I think it can be a good one.”
As a newcomer to multi-class racing, Molina himself also has plenty of learning to do, but is confident that he will be ready for the first race at Silverstone (April 14-16).
“It’s a new type of racing for me, but at least with the days that I did at Monza, I’m quite confident to start the championship and we will have two days to learn much more. It’s completely different cars, different performance and different speeds, to get used to, but it’s part of the game and I will try to absorb all the information before the race itself at Silverstone.”
