Miguel Molina and teammates Antonio Fuoco and Nicklas Nielsen scored a superb podium in the return of the FIA World Endurance Championship. In the season’s most treacherous weather conditions, the #50 Ferrari – AF Corse Ferrari 499P was back on the podium and scored valuable points for the Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ Championships. Buoyed by this solid result at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, the determined Spaniard now looks ahead to his forthcoming races.
After a short summer break, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) returned to action at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin for Lone Star Le Mans, round six of eight on the calendar.
Greeted by the oppressive heat of the Texas summer, the #50 Ferrari crew had to contend with free practice sessions disrupted by numerous red flag stoppages on Friday, followed by rain on Saturday morning. Despite the interruptions, the trio put in a productive session, punctuated by the second-best time in FP3. Qualifying confirmed their strong form. On medium tyres under the rain, Nicklas Nielsen placed the #50 Ferrari in fourth position on the grid.
The race started behind the safety car due to the rain. Nicklas Nielsen gradually found his stride in these conditions and was still fourth when the race was red-flagged after a moment of confusion during a change of safety car. The race resumed 40 minutes later. After several laps behind the safety car, the Dane proved solid and consistent when the race went green, maintaining his position. On an increasingly treacherous track, the team took advantage of a neutralisation shortly after the halfway point to put Antonio Fuoco in the car. The Italian quickly climbed up to the provisional podium to keep the team in contention for victory.
Miguel Molina took over with two hours to go. Third when he exited the pitlane, the Spaniard quickly moved up to second place in more favourable conditions. The Ferrari – AF Corse strategy allowed them to maintain pressure on the leaders while avoiding the mistakes that had cost many of their rivals dearly. After a final splash-and-dash 15 minutes from the finish, the Ferrari factory driver came out of the pits in fourth place and launched a superb attack to overtake the #94 Peugeot for second place.
The Spaniard in the #50 Ferrari 499P concluded his faultless and strong drive just 8.6s behind the winner to seal another crucial podium finish for the championship, a very positive conclusion from the Texas weekend.
« It was a positive weekend for us, and it’s always important to be back on the podium after a few races. We finished P2, and I feel we maximised everything we had. The conditions were ultra-challenging, so it was all about staying on track. We considered switching to slick tyres at one point, but the warm-up phase in those conditions would have been quite tricky. With only a few laps to go, it was too risky, so staying on the wet tyres was definitely the right call. We also showed great pace, and I’m happy with that. Most importantly, we scored points for both championships. That was the aim this weekend, especially for the Manufacturers’ Championship. We expect Fuji to be a bit tougher and a much different challenge because of the track characteristics, but we leave Austin happy to have achieved what we needed here. »
This result consolidates Ferrari’s lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship, and the next round at Fuji will offer the Prancing Horse an opportunity to clinch the title. Before that, Miguel Molina will return to the European Le Mans Series with Kessel Racing this weekend for the 4 Hours of Silverstone (12–14 September), where he will again aim for a solid result in LMGT3 alongside Fran Rueda and Andrew Gilbert.
Lone Star Le Mans : 1. Porsche Penske Motorsport #6 ; 2. Ferrari – AF Corse #50…
FIA Hypercar World Endurance Drivers’ Championship : 1. Calado / Giovinazzi / Pier Guidi 115 points… 4. Fuoco / Molina / Nielsen 75 points…
FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship : 1. Ferrari 203 points ; 2. Porsche 138 points ; 3. Cadillac 134 points…