Valtteri Bottas will be given a “soft landing” by Mercedes if they choose not to keep him for the 2020 F1 season, team principal Toto Wolff has said.

But speaking to media at the Hungaroring on Sunday evening he stressed they will assist whichever driver does not join Lewis Hamilton at the team next year with their 2020 plans.

“We have responsibility for the juniors and for the ones who are in the car with us right now. We’re not going to do anything that is going to make it harder for them.

“Whatever we decide we’ll consider what are the options for the driver to go elsewhere. If it’s for Esteban to progress [elsewhere], to make it back one day in a Mercedes; or if it’s for Valtteri to have a ‘soft landing’, because he deserves it, he had great speed yesterday.”

Wolff said his disappointment at Bottas’s second poor result in a row last weekend detracted from the satisfaction he took from Hamilton’s victory.

“You don’t see my jumping up and down because I am so sad for him. He was so pumped since yesterday his qualifying performance was brilliant.

“He was in the right frame of mind before the race and then the unfortunate incident in flat spotting the tyre, touching with Lewis, touching with [Charles] Leclerc and suddenly all the work is gone. That is just awful for him and I am sorry for him.”

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2019 F1 season