A mainstay on the international scene for several seasons, Miguel Molina returns to the European Le Mans Series this week. Reigning 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and a regular in the most prestigious endurance competitions, the Spaniard, Ferrari factory driver, now returns to one of his favourite series, and what's more, on home soil!
Pace and intensity are the watchwords of Miguel Molina's 2025 season. After racing the Ferrari 296 GT3 in the 24 Hours of Daytona and winning the Qatar 1812 km in the Ferrari 499P, the Spanish driver will contest his third race of the year, in a third different championship, and on a third different continent!
This week, the Girona native returns to the European Le Mans Series. The kick-off to this campaign will have a particular significance for Miguel Molina, Ferrari factory driver, as the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will host the season-opener, an ideal venue to begin this new adventure with determination.
"It is my first race of the year in Europe, and it is going to be a special one as it is my home race in Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya", says the local driver. "I started here when I was very young. I have been a Jove Pilot, a member of the driver programme of the circuit, the RACC and the government for six years, and it's always special to race at home and on this racetrack. It will provide added motivation and help us achieve a solid result."
Miguel Molina is no stranger to the track, where he has already won in both single-seaters and GTs. His most recent home success came in the European Le Mans Series as he kicked off his winning campaign with an LMGTE victory in 2021 with the Ferrari 488 GTE. Following his title, he did a one-off race on the European scene in 2022, finishing on the podium again. While LMGTE has since given way to LMGT3, Miguel Molina will use all his experience aboard the Ferrari 296 LMGT3 to excel from the outset on Europe's most prestigious circuits.
"It is also special to come back in European Le Mans Series as it's always been one of my favourite championships", continues the Ferrari factory driver. "I have fond memories from those days, and I think it's an outstanding championship where you can perform and help your teammates. There is excellent competition among the drivers, and I like the format, so it's positive to be here. I raced here last time in 2022 and won the title in 2021, so we will try to do it again. Our crew is quite new. It is the first season my teammates will race in such a competitive endurance series, but as I said, I think ELMS is a good compromise for everyone and a good series to compete in, so let's see what we can achieve together."
Ordinarily teamed up with Antonio Fuoco and Nicklas Nielsen for Ferrari – AF Corse in the FIA World Endurance Championship, Miguel Molina will partner countryman Fran Rueda and Briton Andrew Gilbert in the ELMS. Having finished third in last year's Michelin Le Mans Cup with the Ferrari 296 GT3, the two drivers are stepping up this year with Swiss team Kessel Racing.
While they are no strangers to the LMGT3 class, the European Le Mans Series will feature a stronger field, more experienced competition and longer events, with four-hour races. The trio, completed by Miguel Molina, will race in car no. 74. In the sister car, Great Britain's Ben Tuck will join Japan's Takeshi Kimura and Brazil's Daniel Serra, who came within a whisker of the title last year. These two solid crews are expected to be at the sharp end by observers, even if Miguel Molina does not underestimate the challenge that awaits them.
"Our target is to fight at the front, but we will need to go step by step", he adds. "The feeling with Fran and Andrew is fantastic. We've already been working during a couple of test days, and obviously, we were working together at the Prologue. I think we make a good group. I'm trying to give them all the experience I can as it's their first year in this series, so they have much to learn. However, I think starting here, a home racetrack for Fran and me, is a good boost, and we'll try to help Andrew to the maximum while avoiding mistakes. We also have good references and a good team. The sister car was also fighting for the championship last year, so they have a lot of experience and data to share, which will be very useful as reference."
The calendar consists of six races across Europe. Miguel Molina begins this campaign on home soil with the 4 Hours of Barcelona before moving on to the Circuit Paul Ricard and the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola. After the summer break, the season will resume at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps before heading to Silverstone and the season finale at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão.
44 cars, including 13 LMGT3s, will be in action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The whole field got back into the swing of things on Monday and Tuesday during the Prologue. The car no. 74 completed 299 laps throughout the sessions, including 120 for Miguel, who set the crew's fastest time of 1m42.047s. Since then, the team has begun its in-depth work, combing through the data collected and fine-tuning their settings and strategic options before returning to the track on Friday. The season's first race starts at mid-day on Sunday.
"I have been doing a double programme for the past three years with the 499P and the 296 GT3, so I'm used to switching between the two Ferraris", concludes Miguel. "After Daytona in the GT3 and Qatar in the Hypercar, I am now back in the GT3 car in Barcelona and ready to go with Fran and Andrew. After the tests, we can say one of the main challenges here will be to manage the tyres due to the high degradation. We have worked on different setups and combinations to preserve these tyres, but the bigger key will be to stay out of trouble, especially early in the race. Historically, ELMS races are always hectic, so we will try to avoid any issue and score points for the #74 car in the season's opening race."
