The Unexpected Reason Why Herbert Would Give a Seat at Red Bull to Bortoleto, Alonso!
One of Fernando Alonso's biggest detractors, Johnny Herbert, admits he would give Yuki Tsunoda's seat to one of his protégés: Gabriel Bortoleto. The reason is that he is learning from "one of the best in history."
Fernando Alonso has always been a driver who generates polarized opinions and reactions. The two-time Formula 1 world champion has never left anyone indifferent, neither as a person nor as a driver. And we could say that Johnny Herbert tends to find himself more on the side of those who criticize his way of being.
But what Herbert cannot do, nor can anyone in reality, is criticize the sporting performance of a driver who, at 44 years old, continues to give lessons weekend after weekend. And precisely for that reason, Herbert has had no choice but to dedicate a few compliments to the Asturian.
"Bortoleto races against Alonso, one of the best in history"
Bortoleto, the Ideal Candidate for Red Bull
One of the vacancies still available for the 2026 season is the second seat at Red Bull, currently occupied by Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver is not convincing this year and everything indicates that Isack Hadjar will be the chosen one to accompany Max Verstappen next year.
However, Johnny Herbert believes the right driver is someone else: Gabriel Bortoleto. The Brazilian has debuted this season in Formula 1 and, after a shaky start, has established himself as a very consistent and competitive driver.
This convinces the former British driver and current Formula 1 analyst. But what sets Bortoleto apart from the rest is something else: Fernando Alonso, representative, mentor, and advisor to the young driver who is just 20 years old.
"I would probably give the Red Bull seat to Bortoleto. He won the F3 and F2 championships in consecutive years," Herbert states in comments to racingtipster.com, before arguing the key factor: "But the really positive thing in his favor, which is what Oscar [Piastri] has with Mark Webber, is that he has Fernando Alonso as a representative."
"Maybe he can give him that extra ingredient that allows him to keep improving, while Hadjar doesn't have someone like Fernando behind him," adds Johnny Herbert, who was also a sports commissioner for the FIA at one point. "He has to figure everything out by himself. Bortoleto races against Alonso, one of the best in history, and is gaining notoriety in the racing world."
In Herbert's opinion, Gabriel Bortoleto has the best possible teacher, a Fernando Alonso against whom he competes directly and under the same conditions. And, therefore, with whom he can analyze every detail of each practice session, qualifying, or race.
"They will talk about it after each race," says Herbert. "That's why it gives him the advantage, but it's very impressive, in a car that is probably not as good as the RB [Racing Bulls]," he concludes.
In his debut season, Gabriel Bortoleto outperforms Nico Hülkenberg by a solid 10-6 in qualifying, while in the race the German wins by the narrowest margin (6-5 in the races both have finished).
Additionally, Bortoleto has 18 points compared to 37 for his teammate, although he has achieved all of them in the last six events, in which Hülkenberg has settled for 17 points (and four consecutive zeros since Spa-Francorchamps).
