Having said that a decision will be made over the summer break as to whether Valtteri Bottas will be retained for 2020 or Esteban Ocon brought in from the cold, Toto Wolff's task appeared to be made that little bit easier when a nightmare opening few corners in Hungary totally compromised the Finn's race.

While Hamilton took a remarkable victory, Bottas finished a lap down in eighth.

With Bottas opting not to take part in the celebratory team photo at race end, Wolff admitted feeling sad for the Finn.

"That's why you don't see me jumping up and down for joy because it's so sad for him," the Austrian told reporters. "He was so pumped yesterday after his qualifying, his performance was brilliant and he was in the right space of mind before the race.

"But the unfortunate incident of flat-spotting of the tyres, touching with Lewis, touching with Leclerc, within a lap all the hard work is gone. And that's just awful for him. I'm sorry for him."

Aware that that it is unlikely to be his name that follows the customary 'Announce' tweet in the coming weeks, Bottas insists there is an alternative.

"When you are in this situation, as with everything in Formula 1, you need to have a Plan B and, sometimes, even a Plan C," said the Finn. "When you're talking about stuff it's always good to have different plans and that's what I'm doing.

"I'm not really nervous," he insisted, "but for sure it would be nice to hear some news from the team, to know what they want to do, as well."

Referring to his Hungaroring horror, he said: "That's the thing in this sport, you try to be on the limit, calculating the risks, just enough. Pushing hard, trying to take the opportunities but trying not to f*** up. That's how it goes.

"For sure when contract-wise you're on the limit, it never helps," he added. "Some people might think some drivers perform better under pressure when things are on the limit but, for sure, for me it doesn't help.

"I can't say that going into Turn 1 I was thinking about it, I don't think so, but I was very hungry for the win, no matter if there are contract talks or not. I wanted to win this race, so I took the risk. It just didn't go quite as planned, it could have been a lot different, we're talking about centimetres here and there, but that's how it goes."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Paul C, 08/08/2019 22:32

"He can take over driving the Mercedes pace car."

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2. Posted by Obsidian, 08/08/2019 20:11

"Why would any other team want Bottas? He has had three years in the very best car on the grid, and he has not delivered. If you can't deliver in the best car, it seems like it would be a better idea to go with an up and coming driver. Bottas had his shot already."

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3. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 07/08/2019 15:20

"I hope they retain Bottas next season. "

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4. Posted by Cobra Racer, 07/08/2019 14:32

"When I was racing, I would have been overjoyed to have a team mate like Valtteri. The old Chinese adage "be careful what you wish for".
"

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5. Posted by Stitch431, 07/08/2019 11:15

"First of all, I do not believe Ocon would have made room for Lewis, the way Bottas did in Hungary, so If I were Toto, I'd have nightmares about putting him in the seat next to Lewis. On top of this, it has not been totally Bottas' his fault, that he has not had the best races in Germany and especially in Hungary. In Germany he made the same mistake also Lewis made, but Lewis has had more luck to "survive" this mistake. Not really something to chop his head for. In Hungary he has made room for his teammate, who gave him a little touch for a thank you, which brought Valteri in the position of being run into by Leclerc. So this is not something you can blame him for either. I'm not sure if bringing Mr. "do or die" Ocon will be the way to achieve the best results because he has no respect for his teammate in any sense as he has shown more than once in the past. Putting him in Bottas' seat could cost Mercedes their championship with Red Bull's Max Verstappen getting closer and closer. "

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6. Posted by Rock Doc, 07/08/2019 3:28

"Can’t see him in a red bull car or a Williams. Perez is the only one doing the job in that team so he will stay and lance isn’t going anywhere.

That only leaves Renault, Haas or Alfa. How about 2 Fins in Alfa?"

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7. Posted by Superbird70, 06/08/2019 23:29

"Yes, Red Bull or Toro Rosso"

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8. Posted by meatball, 06/08/2019 20:17

"and if they DO let Valtteri go, he's sitting beside Verstappen in Australia"

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9. Posted by meatball, 06/08/2019 20:16

"I'd bet that they keep Bottas and cut Ocon loose."

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10. Posted by Anthony, 06/08/2019 18:27

"A move back to Williams to replace Robert K would be good for the team."

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11. Posted by Motorsport-fan, 06/08/2019 18:18

"I guess if he does get the push, he will have support from Mercedes to find a seat, so probably back to Williams or replacing Perez at Racing Point."

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Bottas has a Plan B

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