Alonso: Bortoleto best of F1's 2025 rookies

Bortoleto beat Red Bull Racing junior Isack Hadjar for the title of F2's junior series in Abu Dhabi last weekend, which coincided with F1's season finale, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Brazilian driver is managed by Alonso's A14 Management and will partner Nico Hulkenberg at Sauber in 2025. He made his debut with the team in the Abu Dhabi post-season test last Tuesday.

Bortoleto will not be the only rookie on the F1 grid in 2025. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, sixth in the 2024 F2 championship, will replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.

Oliver Bearman, who raced in F1 in 2024 three times, will be racing in Haas. The Briton raced for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia, replacing Carlos Sainz, who underwent surgery for appendicitis. He also replaced Kevin Magnussen in Baku as the Dane was serving a one-race ban. Bearman also replaced Magnussen in Sao Paulo as the latter fell ill.

Jack Doohan is another rookie that will join F1 in 2025 with Alpine, although the Australian was drafted to replace Esteban Ocon at what should've been the Frenchman's final race with the team in Abu Dhabi.

But Alonso claimed that the young driver he manages is the best of the lot and was quoted by Motorsport.com saying: "He's the best. He was, in his rookie season in F3, champion. He was, in his rookie season in F2, champion.

“I know there are a lot of talks about the young generation – a lot of rookies also next year, very talented all of them, but the best is Gabriel. He showed it on track with the same cars.

"Obviously next year he will maybe not have the same car as some of the rookies, but I hope people do not forget that he's better than them. He was and he will [be]," the double F1 champion concluded.

Bortoleto notably won two F2 races in 2024 but scored consistently throughout the season to beat Hadjar who won four times. Bearman won three races while Antonelli also won twice.