Gabriel Bortoleto is “the best rookie of this generation” according to Fernando Alonso, after the Brazilian he and Max Verstappen fought on his way to a career-best sixth place in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Sauber has a clear step forward with the upgrades it introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix, culminating in the team score points in each of the last six rounds. All Bortoleto points have arrived in the past four races, and in Hungary he joined colleague -smokies Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson in obtaining a top six finish this year.
“He is the best Rookie of this generation,” Alonso – who also serves as part of Bortoleto’s management – told the Spanish broadcaster Dazn. “If he was English or something and finished sixth in a Sauber, he would be on the front page of each newspaper.”
On Sunday in Budapest, Bortoleto spent the first Stint between Alonso and Verstappen, and he went the Red Bull in his best finish so far.
“Twice world champion, four times world champion and I am in the middle,” said Bortoleto. “It’s just something great that I am so happy to experience in my Rookie season and to fight against these guys. To be honest, I am so happy. It was a great race and we did everything we could.
‘[I’m] Super satisfied. I could not be more satisfied than that, because I think that is the real result that we can achieve. More than this it is only if we are lucky and if someone crashes or something happens. I think we really maximized the car we had – or even did it better, because I caught up with Lance [Stroll] In the first round and we know that the Astons had a very good pace this weekend. “
Sauber was one of the teams who asked for a one-stop strategy in Sunday’s race, and Bortoleto said it was a display that he and the team can be proud of.
“I am so happy with this result, it is so far our best and it shows the great work that we do as a team,” he said. “We have taken the right steps in the right direction, and this is just the beginning of what we can achieve together.
“The race itself was very intense and mentally heavy, with 70 laps where you can’t afford any mistake, but I gave everything I had and did not put a wheel wrong. We have maximized every occasion, from my driving to the strategy and implementation of the team, and I am so happy for everyone involved.”
#Bortoleto #F1s #Rookie #Generation #Alonso #Racer