Fernando Alonso has said that Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto is the "best rookie of his generation" after the Brazilian's impressive showing at the Hungarian grand prix.
Bortoleto, 20, finished sixth in Budapest -- behind Alonso in fifth -- securing points for the third time in his last four races.
"He commits few errors, always putting pressure. He's [Bortoleto] the best rookie of this generation," Alonso told reporters.
"If he was English, or something, and finished sixth in a Sauber, he'd be in all the news tomorrow. What he does is exceptional."
After a difficult start to his maiden Formula One season, Borteleto has had a strong run heading into the summer break and has helped Sauber move up to P8 in the constructors' championship, one point behind Aston Martin.
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"I was a very rookie-rookie driver when I started the season but that's of course normal and you progress a lot through your season when you start at that level and I feel like I've been learning so much," Bortoleto told Sky Sports.
"We did an amazing job [in Hungary], the team gave me an amazing car for today's race. We managed to put everything in place.
"The strategy was great. I don't see how we could finish this half of the season better."
F1 now pauses for its summer break, with the Dutch grand prix next on the calendar for Aug. 31.
