Fernando Alonso fires 'if he was English' gibe in remarkable Gabriel Bortoleto praise

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."