Fernando Alonso has praised Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto, calling him “the best rookie of his generation” after his outstanding performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Bortoleto, 20 years old, finished sixth in Budapest, just behind Alonso, who obtained fifth place. This result secured him points for the third time in his last four races.
He makes few mistakes, always pushing. He is the best rookie of this generation.
Fernando Alonso
Gabriel Bortoleto ha impresionado a muchos, incluyendo a Fernando Alonso, con sus actuaciones para Sauber. Joe Portlock/Getty ImagesAlonso added that, if Bortoleto were of another nationality and had achieved sixth place with Sauber, his performance would be news in all the media.
After a complicated start to his debut season in Formula 1, Bortoleto has had a good run before the summer break, helping Sauber climb to eighth place in the constructors’ championship, one point behind Aston Martin.
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Bortoleto told Sky Sports: “He was a very novice driver at the beginning of the season, but that’s normal and you progress a lot during the season when you start at that level, and I feel like I’ve learned a lot.”
“We did an incredible job in Hungary, the team gave me an incredible car for today’s race. We managed to put everything in place. The strategy was great. I don’t see how we could have finished this half of the season any better.”
Formula 1 now enters its summer break, with the Dutch Grand Prix as the next race on the calendar, scheduled for August 31st.
