The voice of a 13-year-old boy can be heard on the other end of the phone: Gianmatteo Rousseauwho conveys an unusual professionalism for his young age. He wants to be the first Panamanian to drive in Formula 1 and for now he is fulfilling his duties in karting. At the World Championships in Kristianstad, Sweden, he took sixth place 109 participants in the OK Junior class. It was in the competition International Karting Commission (CIK) who is responsible for that International Automobile Federation (FIA). It is the most important event in the specialty and it is the one that could not win Ayrton Senna and yes, he did it Max Verstappen. The Central American boy competes with the British team Forza Racing and also took part in the European tournament, where he finished tenth. It is represented by Bullet Sports Managementthe same company that runs the race Franco Colapinto.
Since he’s so young, he already knows what it’s like to be 9,000 kilometers from home and shares his residence in Panama with Italy because it is a karting mecca. “I spend most of my time there in Europe and am near Milan, in an apartment in a place called Desenzano del Garda. There is the main karting track and almost all the factories of all the karting teams there,” he says Infobae.
He was born on February 23, 2012 and his passion for motorsports was born through a special story: “My family always liked football and I’m the only one in my family who was interested in motorsports. One day my parents went to the cinema and I stayed with my grandmother and wanted to see what we could do and wanted to look for something new. So we found a rental kart and we drove off. I got in, did several laps, ran well and the owner of the place told him: “My grandmother has invited.” us to a race. The next day we watched it and I really liked everything, especially the speed. The next week I started running at the age of six.”
His earnings are greater because there are not many race tracks in Panama, which has forced him to race outside his country. “When I started running there was only one route called Kartódromo de Coronado. They closed it a while ago. A year and a half ago they opened a new race track where there is also a go-kart track that is quite good. Otherwise, here in Panama they would sometimes build a running track with defenses in the football stadium or on some street circuit,” explains the main sponsor of a large oil company and a renowned bank.
It was at an international event that he became convinced that he wanted to become a professional pilot. “After completing my first year here in Panama, I became national champion and ran my first international race in November 2019 in Las Vegas. There I said that I wanted to run as a professional and that.” My dream was to get into Formula 1“, he recalls. From that moment he began his campaign abroad, which continues to this day.
About the aforementioned World Championship, which took place in September, he says: “It’s very nice to come from here from Central America to represent Panama and be among the best drivers in the world in his category. I was able to race against drivers who were part of F1 team academies such as: McLaren, Williams and FerrariHe reveals: “We prepared for a few weeks, not only on the track but also outside, going to the gym, eating healthy and analyzing the races that have taken place on this track in previous years. The goal was to reach the top ten and thank God we got it.”
On how he deals with the pressure of being the first Panamanian to race in Formula 1, he says: “I have a sports psychologist, Fernando Da Costa, who helped me a lot from an early age to control the pressure, the stress and the emotions. Sometimes it makes me a little nervous and under pressure because you know that you can be the first Panamanian to compete in Formula 1, but that also motivates me.” because I want to leave this country in the history of motorsportHe adds that he talks to his psychologist on the weekends, “especially when a result doesn’t go well or when expectations are high because we do quite well in training and then in the race it doesn’t happen due to various circumstances. Fernando helps me control my emotions using breathing techniques and visualization and has helped me mature and learn when things go wrong.”
Although he forms a mental shell and tries to protect his feelings, he admits the difficulties of any Latin American boy who has to emigrate to Europe: “It’s difficult when I leave my country, I leave my friends and my family. Several times I go alone with my coach and other times with my father. My mother can’t travel because I have a younger sister (10 years old) who goes to school. It’s difficult, but.” I have all the motivation to be on the track and be as prepared as possible and the hunger to set my flag as high as possible“.
Food is quite a topic and he admits: “I like pizza, different sweets or things with flour, but I can’t eat them because they are not good for me. To feel good, I eat proteins for lunch like chicken, meat, fish chicken.”
Looking at his near future, he assumes that “we will remain in karting in 2026 because I still cannot switch to formula for reasons of age. I have to be 15 years old to start driving. That’s why I will drive in the senior category at the European Championship and the World Championship. The goal will be to get back into the top ten.”
At a race in Monza Formula 3 In 2022 he met Franco Colapinto and its managers, Maria Catarineu And Jamie Campbell Walterthose responsible for Bullet Sport Management. “I met Franco in 2022 when he was in Formula 3. I previously had a coach who worked with Franco. There were also María and Jamie. This year my father met with them and made the decision to start working together. It was a great decision to work with them.”
Lucas BenamoBullet’s trainer, also spoke to this medium and describes what Gianmatteo is like: “I watched him go karting for a few years and we met at a Formula 3 race when Franco was with the Van Amersfoort team. Despite his young age.” He is very professional, dedicated and hard working.. I was surprised at how he paid attention to his diet at a young age in one of the European karting competitions.. It is clear to him how a professional pilot has to work, and has been for many years. In karting this year in Europe he performed very well in the junior category and in the World Championship he finished in the top ten, which is very good. Another year of karting continues and in the future they will start preparing for the monopostos. I see a lot of futureHe also enjoys great support and is very popular in his country. It’s a promise to reach Formula 1“.
While Gianmatteo praises Colapinto and states that “He is an inspiration because he started from the bottom and also came from Latin America to run in Europe. He’s also at Bullet and Jamie and Maria helped him get here. That’s why I want to try to follow the same path as Franco to be successful.” It should be noted that Gianmatteo would be on the radar of an F1 academy.
While his main reference “Ayrton Senna. I didn’t get to see him run live, but I always watch his races YouTube or his films in Netflix. He is an important reference for me because he has a clear attitude, he is something different from the others.” With a view to current events, he asserts: “I like him a lot.” Fernando Alonso And Charles Leclerc. As for Charles, I know his cousin who is my teammate on the karting team. I had the opportunity to get to know him and I really liked him. He is a very good person. On the track I think he is a good driver, he is fast and he is one of the top drivers.”
Finally, he points out that “my main goal is to get into Formula 1. If that doesn’t happen, I would like to race there.” 24 Hours of Le Mansthe of Dayton or even that IndyCar, Big tourismThat means being a professional driver and making a living from motorsport.” His far-reaching vision for his future shows that he is a boy who suddenly grows up, as is often the case with all young people who are uprooted but leave everything behind to fulfill their dream.
About The Author
