Before becoming a Formula 1 driver, Lance Stroll had to climb the ranks of motorsport like everyone else. And to get there, he received, for 10 years, the help of the man who was his trainer, then his mentor, his friend and his “big brother”: Hugo Mousseau.
We join Mousseau in the paddocks, in front of the Aston Martin headquarters, after the third free practice session on Saturday. When we arrive, he and his wife are talking with Marilou Bélanger, the Quebec pilot’s girlfriend.
Hugo Mousseau is one of those who worked with Lance Stroll when he was still very young. He tells us about a child who was not necessarily shy, but who “liked to do his own little thing”. “I think it’s still like that today,” he said. He is someone who always wanted to perform more. He never took a break. It was never enough. »
“When he started getting into the races, we saw that he loved it and was very good going out. There, he immediately joined our team and [I took him] under my wing. »
A fan ? ” Absolutely. Lance is a racing driver. That’s just what he likes to do and that’s just what he does. »
Quickly, Mousseau understood that he was dealing with a different driver, who stood out for his speed.
“There are plenty of them, good pilots. But there aren’t a lot of drivers who go fast. He is a driver who goes quickly. In Formula 1, it’s a different story. […] But in a category where we are in a specific situation, that is to say where everyone has the same karts, the same engines, the same cars, the same possibilities of adjustment… It’s a dominant driver. »
Mousseau was Stroll’s karting coach for five years, from 2008 to 2013. Together, they won everywhere they went: in Canada, the United States and Europe. They spent, on average, 225 days a year together. “It was huge,” he says.
In 2014, Stroll made the jump from karting to single-seaters, to Formula 4 and then to Formula 3. Mousseau’s role, like his protégé’s career, has evolved.
“When we moved to the car, I was his mentor, his moral support, his organizer. We traveled together. »
When Stroll made his place in Formula 1, in 2017, Hugo Mousseau stopped traveling at the same pace. He and his wife were expecting their third child at the time. The pilot asked his mentor to follow him in this new adventure, but he refused. “I had done my job,” he said.
Mousseau nevertheless remained available to Stroll for about a year and a half. The pilot, who was now 18, could call him anytime. “It was a transition,” says Mousseau.
The two men are still in contact today. Mousseau is both a friend and a mentor. They sometimes talk about performance, sometimes about “things in life, emotions”.
When we ask Mousseau to tell us about the evolution of his foal over the years, he describes a “mentally very strong” individual. “Very, very strong,” he insists.
“Lance is someone who had a strong, albeit very strict, upbringing. He had to come to terms with his name, his situation and his desire to succeed in Formula 1. […] Always looking, in the distance, at the objectives that we want to achieve is a strength. He just got better at doing it throughout his career. »
Lance Stroll is often the subject of mean-spirited and derogatory comments. If Mousseau prefers not to comment on the opinion of F1 supporters towards the driver, he recalls that “Lance is where he should be because he worked to be there”. “You can’t judge a book just by the title,” he simply adds.
The 40-year-old insists: Stroll has his place at Aston Martin, whatever some people think. “He’s able to take the car to the maximum of what it’s probably capable of doing. »
Mousseau will be in the front row for the race on Sunday. Whatever happens on the track, he is proud to see his protégé at the top of the world of motor racing and has precious memories of the 10 years spent at his side.
“It’s a good trip we had! »
