Miguel Molina on the Verge of Achieving His Career Goal
Victory at Le Mans Could Lead to World Endurance Championship Assault
Miguel Molina, the Ferrari driver, is on the cusp of achieving his career goal of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and this victory could open the doors to a greater objective: the assault on the World Endurance Championship. With the double points from their victory in France, they are now nine points behind the WEC leaders with four races still to go. Molina is focused on the upcoming 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, as he acknowledged in a recent meeting.
The Feeling of Victory
When asked about the feeling of holding the trophy, Molina replied, "There is a lot of work behind it, a lot of sacrifice and pride in having been able to achieve it. It has always been a goal for me, it has always been a race that I have followed for many years. When I was not running it, I followed it on television. It has always been part of my sporting career, it has always been a goal, a race where I wanted to be, and to be able to win it, as you can imagine, is something incredible."
The Victory of His Life
Molina described the victory as the victory of his life, saying, "On a sporting level, because then on a personal level, logically, there are other important races. But on a sporting level, they have been the 10 most intense and, at the same time, most satisfying days for the final result."
Sharing the Success with Family
Molina talked about how he shares his success with his family, saying, "They have experienced it very closely because although they were not at Le Mans, they followed it from television. Especially the older one, 6 years old, who is already starting to understand the races and follow them more closely. She experienced it very intensely. They were happy. My parents, who were with them, sent me videos and photos when they were watching television and with the joy for victory."
Celebrating the Victory
Molina acknowledged that his post-race celebration was a natural reaction, saying, "It is very natural. That’s what I’m saying, it’s been many years fighting for something so important. And, above all, there has been many difficult moments, many moments of doubt, of being very close to achieving important results… Then, in those moments, when you see the car cross the finish line… well, you take a very, very big weight off your shoulders."
The Envy of F1 Drivers
Molina stated that F1 drivers are envious of his success at Le Mans, saying, "It is true that more and more F1 drivers want to do the 24 hours of Le Mans. So, in that sense, maybe there is some healthy envy. The 24 Hours of Le Mans are so attractive and so important and so historic that any driver in motorsport, in any discipline, if you talk to them about the 24 Hours of Le Mans, they know that it is something special."
Future Goals
Molina talked about his future goals, saying, "That’s the next goal. Since Tuesday after the race one of the first things I did was look at what situation we were in in the championship because we have four races left, we are nine points behind the first and is the short-term objective. In the next race in Sao Paulo, our fight for the world championship will begin. It is a very important objective."
Believing in the Possibility
Molina expressed his confidence in the possibility of achieving the world championship, saying, "You have to believe that you can do it and I believe. If we continue along the line of work that we have been doing since Spa, Imola… except for Qatar, which was the worst race we have done in these two years that we have been in this project, we are showing that things are going well. I think that we can think about fighting for the championship. That has to be the objective, especially considering the motivation we showed and the results we obtained at Le Mans."
Making History
Molina talked about the importance of making history, saying, "If it is achieved, it would mean eating at the same table as Carlos Sainz Sr. and Fernando Alonso as world champions. I would be continuing making history… it would be cool. It would be great because that’s what it is, a reward for work, for a life dedicated to this world. Being world champion like them would be the cherry on top from the cake."