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 in sixth position in Budapest, just behind Alonso, who achieved fifth place. This result secured him points for the third time in the last four races.
He makes few mistakes, always pushing. He is the best rookie of this generation.
Fernando Alonso
Gabriel Bortoleto ha estado impresionando a muchos, incluido Fernando Alonso, con sus actuaciones para Sauber. (Joe Portlock/Getty Images)After a complicated start to his first Formula One season, Bortoleto has had a strong run before the summer break and has helped Sauber climb to eighth place in the constructors’ championship, one point behind Aston Martin.
Hungarian Grand Prix: Norris narrowly beats Piastri for a McLaren 1-2.
“I was a very novice-novice driver when I started the season, but that’s, of course, normal, and you progress a lot throughout your season when you start at that level and I feel like I’ve been learning a lot,” Bortoleto told Sky Sports.
“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 end this half of the season better.”
F1 now takes a break for its summer recess, with the Dutch Grand Prix on the calendar for August 31st.
