F1 rival says Lewis Hamilton is still the best driver on the grid when the lights go out

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Audi F1 star Gabriel Bortoleto has assembled his perfect driver, picking attributes from his rivals on the grid.

Bortoleto is closely linked to three of the four of the world champions on the grid. He used to be part of the McLaren academy, which gave him the opportunity to work with Lando Norris.

He is also represented by A14 Management, Fernando Alonso’s company, and has formed a close friendship with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Gabriel Bortoleto hails Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen as he builds perfect driver

Bortoleto’s F1 debut in 2025 coincided with the worst season of Lewis Hamilton’s career as the new Ferrari signing failed to score a single podium.

But in an interview with Mundo Deportivo, he still picked the seven-time world champion as the best driver on Sundays.

Where does Lewis Hamilton rank on the current Formula 1 grid?

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“I think Lewis Hamilton is very strong in races,” said Bortoleto. “In my opinion, Lewis races really well.”

Hamilton’s third-place finish at the British GP, while a disappointing result in the circumstances, was his fifth podium in nine races this year. He recently bagged his first Ferrari win in Barcelona.

Underscoring his strength in the races, Hamilton has gained a net six places relative to his starting positions this year. He has only gone backwards once, slipping from third to fifth in Austria, but even then Ferrari were out of position due to a late yellow flag in qualifying.

• READ MORE: What Lewis Hamilton’s F1 rivals are saying ‘off the record’ about the Ferrari star’s 2026 turnaround

As for the rest of the categories, Bortoleto picked Verstappen and Alonso for qualifying, but said the Aston Martin is still ‘far ahead of everyone’ in racing IQ.

He chose Verstappen as the best at overtaking and Hamilton’s Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc as the best at defending.

Indeed, it’s previously been noted that Verstappen shows Leclerc more ‘respect’ than most drivers when they race wheel-to-wheel.

While Hamilton has returned to the top step of the podium this year, Verstappen feels hamstrung by a malfunctioning Red Bull car that has dropped to fourth in the pecking order.

That still doesn’t compare to what Fernando Alonso is facing at Aston Martin, who are still multiple seconds away from even reaching Q2.