Miguel Molina: "Three children in seven years prepare you to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans."

The 24 Hours of Le Mans dates back to 1923. Through 92 editions , only three Spanish drivers have achieved outright victory: Marc Gené , Fernando Alonso , and Miguel Molina (with Antonio García also in the GT category). However, Molina enjoys the unique privilege of winning with Ferrari in 2024, whose brand aura was founded on Le Mans before Formula 1.

The Catalan starred in some unforgettable and moving images alongside his teammate Antonio Fuoco as they took victory. The previous year, in 2023, he had lost the victory due to a stone puncturing a radiator, when the Italian brand returned to the French race after a 50-year absence. Molina will try to equal Alonso's two wins (2018/19) in this upcoming edition .

El Confidencial spoke with the Catalan about to commit to a ten-day lockdown at the circuit. He only leaves for scrutineering, a few public events, and Friday's parade in the city of Le Mans . The rest is about living like a monk, 100% focused on a long week that drains both body and mind.

"I'm really relaxed, to be honest, because I've already achieved the goal I've had in mind for many years, and, knowing what it's like to win the 24 Hours , I want to experience what I felt a year ago again , although without the pressure of not having achieved it yet," he explains to El Confidencial. "But winning this race is addictive, and I'm 100% sure I'd like to experience the same thing I felt last year again."

Torture at 80 km/h

The conversation with Molina revolves more around his personal experiences at the 24 Hours than the race itself. "You're in great shape," we tell Molina, perhaps thinner than usual. "In their preparation routine , riders like Tom Kristenssen (a nine-time winner) said he even started his hydration routine for the race two months before," we comment. How does the Catalan do it?

"You prepare throughout the year, but in the last few months, you've worked a little harder physically and tried to control your weight a little more. One of the things I've worked on the most this year is nutrition. I've studied everything to get the most out of it, because it's a race where you need a lot of energy and mental fitness," he answers. Another aspect that also requires specific preparation is the necessary adaptation of biorhythms to perform at your best day and night.

How do you prepare? "Look, first, the experience that makes you know, the body is very intelligent. And another part, which may not seem like it, but which I find helps, because life is like that, is that I've had three children in seven years, and sleeping through the night has been quite an odyssey (laughs). Believe it or not, the body gets used to it, and it's something that's not too difficult for me to manage. By sleeping little at night, I assure you that sometimes you optimize your sleep to the maximum ."

We didn't see that one coming. It's the first time we've heard that fatherhood helps prepare for Le Mans night. However, there are moments that can be torture. Last year, Molina spent several hours at night behind the safety car, an experience he won't forget. "I assure you that last year It was one of the toughest moments I've ever had in a car. I was there for four hours at 80 km/h, my feet were cold, I fell asleep, I tried to talk to the engineer to distract myself, I played mind games... Hours and minutes went by and it was very, very complicated. You can't prepare for those things in any way ; you try to survive as best you can because then, suddenly, you have to get going quickly to get back to racing pace."

"Is something happening in the race or not?"

Le Mans lasts more than a week for a driver. The race is just the final stretch, so physical and mental management is essential. "During the week itself, it's not a problem. We finish sessions very late (midnight), but in the morning you have time to sleep well," explains Molina , who suffered a lot in his first year.

"I'm a super active person, and if I see someone asking for a photo, I'll get out of the car and run up and down the track. But in 2023, I ended up drenched in sweat and exhausted. On Saturday morning, before the race started, I was like, ' Oh my God, I'm exhausted, and I haven't even started yet.' Well, I learned that from experience, and last year I took it much more calmly and acted the right way." What do you enjoy more? Driving at night or during the day? Many drivers enjoy the dark.

"During the day, it's incredible to drive at Le Mans, but the night is also very special. Although the circuit is very, very long and there are a lot of cars, there are times when you say to yourself... Is something happening in this race or not? Because you're relatively alone on the track on very long straights and you can't see anyone in front or behind you. The low light has all its charm, its moment, but when it's daytime, I think it's something incredible."

With so many hours behind the wheel, you also hear drivers entering a state of trance, in a kind of flow. regardless of the speed, the conditions, or the light. "You're very, very active, it's difficult, but, yes, you get into that feeling more than once. But you're also doing so many things. You automate everything, and it leads to moments where you're just focused on what you're doing. You disconnect or connect with yourself. It's true that it happens, and Le Mans is also one of those places."

"Only this race has this"

That extraordinary level of concentration you experience inside a racing car , exceeding 320 km/h several times per lap. Does it help in everyday life? Does it develop mental muscle, like going to the gym? “I think everything influences, everything helps. It's part of our life, of our daily routine. But it's true that when I'm at home I try to disconnect from this world. Because we live the world of motorsports so intensely and so many days a year, that when you're at home, you have your routine. You have your family. You try to live a different kind of life, right? It can help in many ways, but there are others that everyday life doesn't, because it's made differently.”

Another aspect of endurance racing and the 24 Hours of Le Mans is, let's say, the social aspect. You share a car with two drivers, on whom you depend for victory or defeat. How did Miguel Molina experience this aspect of endurance racing with Niklas Nielsen and Antonio Fuoco, his Ferrari teammates? "This race is so unique… Because I only see my teammates on the starting grid and at the end of the race. During this race, the three of us never meet up," Molina explains.

"You trust them 100%. I have a relationship with Nicklas and Antonio where, just by looking at each other, we already know how we feel , what we need, and that's very important. But it was from the very beginning when we started together in 2023. This is one of the keys to the success of car number 50." What does Miguel Molina enjoy most about such a multifaceted, intense, and demanding career? Curiously, it's the simplest pleasures.

"What I like most is what's inside . Arriving today, Friday, a week and a bit from the start of the race, and already being here. Sleeping in the motorhome , living here on the circuit... Eating and sleeping here makes you feel something that, when you win like last year, makes everything even more special. Only this race has that . What I like most is arriving, unpacking, knowing that I'm going to be here for 10 days, waking up calmly, with this feeling of living here, inside the race. And that way you live it very intensely."