06/08/2025 14:42
Fernando Alonso has fired a gibe that Gabriel Bortoleto would have
been "in all the news" following the Hungarian Grand Prix, but only
"if he was English". The Stake F1 rookie enjoyed a staggering
weekend at the Hungaroring, where he sealed a personal best
qualifying and race result. Bortoleto qualified in seventh but
made up a position in the race to finish in sixth, directly behind
his manager, Alonso. In recent races, the Brazilian has made
considerable steps in the right direction, to the extent that he
defended brilliantly from Max Verstappen in Hungary. According to
Alonso, the 20-year-old is a generational talent, and one who would
receive more attention had he been born in England. "He commits few
errors, always putting pressure," said Alonso, speaking to the
media. "He's [Bortoleto] the best rookie of this generation. "If he
was English, or something, and finished sixth in a Sauber, he'd be
in all the news. What he does is exceptional." Bortoleto has
achieved three points finishes in the past four grands prix,
boosting Stake's chances of catching Williams for fifth in the
constructors' standings. The reigning Formula 2 champion took
almost the entire first half of the season to score his first F1
point, but is now matching, and even regularly beating veteran
team-mate Nico Hulkenberg. Asked by select media, including
RacingNews365, what had triggered his sudden progress, Bortoleto
said: "It's my rookie season. It's normal that you progress. At
least for me, I've always been like this. "If you check my junior
[record], I've been a guy who has always had these types of steps
in my career. "But it's also because I like to work, I like to
study, I like to understand what I've been doing wrong and how to
do a better job."
