Fernando Alonso praises Gabriel Bortoleto as best rookie: “If he were English, he would be big news”. Fernando Alonso finished fifth at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix.

The unusual duo
Among those going on holiday happy after today’s Hungarian Grand Prix are certainly Fernando Alonso and Gabriel Bortoleto. The ‘unusual duo’ of the Formula 1 paddock—one a veteran and the other a rookie, with the Spaniard acting as the manager of the young Brazilian talent—finished the race at the Hungaroring in fifth and sixth positions respectively, with the mentor crossing the line seven seconds ahead of his protégé. For both drivers, today’s result was by far their best performance of the season, and after racing each other on track, they exchanged many mutual compliments in front of the cameras.

Fernando Alonso in particular wanted to reiterate to journalists present in Hungary a sentiment he has expressed on several other occasions about Bortoleto: according to the Spanish champion, the young Sauber talent is “the best driver of his generation.” This opinion is backed by results, as the future official Audi team driver has won both Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles at his first attempt, a feat previously achieved only by notable names such as Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Oscar Piastri—not exactly ordinary names in recent Formula 1 history.

“He is the best rookie of his generation. If he were English or something like that, it would be big news,” Alonso stated, often taking a jab at the Anglo-Saxon world, speaking to journalist Jorge Peiró.

Learning from the master
From the microphones of Sky Sport F1 came the response from Gabriel Bortoleto, who said he continues to learn a great deal from the 44-year-old from Oviedo, even during the same Hungarian race: “I am very happy with the result, but I think I still have a lot to learn from Fernando,” the young Brazilian driver said. “In the first stint, he kept me behind, slowing down in the first two sectors. I couldn’t overtake him in any way. I destroyed the tires behind him, and then when he decided to push, he pushed and got away. There is always something to learn from him, and it’s always interesting to race alongside champions like Fernando and Max. It’s always a pleasure.”