Miguel Molina and his teammates Andrew Gilbert and Fran Rueda scored their first podium finish of the 2025 European Le Mans Series season. The crew of the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 LMGT3 fought hard to climb from last place to second in the LMGT3 class in an action-packed race at Imola. After this solid performance, finishing just a few seconds adrift of the winners, the trio is now back in title contention halfway through the season.
Nearly two months after the 4 Hours of Le Castellet, Miguel Molina returned to the cockpit of the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 LMGT3 in round three of the European Le Mans Series season.
Welcomed by intense heat, Miguel Molina, Andrew Gilbert, and Fran Rueda were on track from Thursday to validate what they had learned in the first two races and realise their potential. After productive practice sessions, the Briton took fifth place in a qualifying session disrupted by a red flag and the first drops of rain of the week.
Although the crew knew they were capable of playing a crucial role in a particularly competitive field, the race got off to a contentious start with contact on the opening lap. Relegated to 13th place, the #74 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 was nearly 30 seconds behind the leaders, but Andrew Gilbert shrugged off the setback and began the trio’s comeback.
« It was a nice but tough race from the very first lap when Andrew got hit by an LMP3 car and wound up in the gravel, losing positions. The most important thing is that he managed to recover well with a strong pace, which kept us in the battle. From there, the entire team executed a solid strategy that allowed us to climb back up the order. »
Despite several full course yellow periods and a red flag during his double stint, Andrew Gilbert steadily made up ground before Fran Rueda took over. On slicks in tricky conditions, the Spaniard consolidated his teammate’s efforts and undercut several competitors. After a solid stint, he handed over to Miguel Molina with just over an hour remaining.
Off to a perfect start in the final sprint, the Ferrari factory driver made a clean and efficient stint to put the Kessel Racing car back on the provisional podium. Both aggressive and strategic in managing his energy throughout his 34 laps, he kept the leaders under constant pressure. Initially crossing the line in second place, he was briefly dropped to third due to a penalty, but his strong effort and the subsequent penalty handed to another crew helped him to reclaim second, less than eight seconds behind the winner.
« I think we made the right call staying out on slicks with Fran. He was also quick during his stint and gained positions with the undercut. We were third when I got in the car, and I overtook the other Ferrari to move into second. It was a challenging stint because I had to manage my energy carefully, but everything came together, and I’m proud that we finished runner-up. It’s a really positive result and an important one for the team. »
This first podium finish of the season marks a significant step forward for the trio and fully revives Kessel Racing’s ambitions in LMGT3, with the #74 crew also winning the Pit Stop Challenge in their category thanks to a lightning-fast stop clocked at 12.7 seconds. And although it took him just three races to pop the champagne again on the European scene, the Spanish driver is as determined as ever as he now heads to the final race of his summer triple-header at the 6 Hours of São Paulo. His next ELMS challenge will come after the summer break at the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (22-24 August).
« We’ve said for a while now that we had the performance but just hadn’t been able to turn it into results for various reasons. This time, it was the other way around, and we delivered a clean race and proved what we’re capable of in the European Le Mans Series. I’m happy for the entire crew, and now I shift my focus to Brazil, where I’m eager to race again. »
4 Hours of Imola – LMGT3 : 1. TF Sport #82 118 laps ; 2. Kessel Racing #74 +7.443s ; 3. Spirit of Race #55 +14.031s…
European Le Mans Series – LMGT3 : 1. Spirit of Race #55 39 points ; 2. TF Sport #82 33 points… 10. Kessel Racing #74 19 points…
Blanca de Foronda,