Wolff assures one race won't decide Bottas' Mercedes future

Valtteri Bottas' difficult Hungarian Grand Prix will have no bearing on Mercedes' decision regarding his future with the team, according to Toto Wolff.

After qualifying second at the Hungaroring on Saturday, Bottas' race was ruined on the first lap as he picked up damage following a clash with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, forcing him to pit for repairs and drop all the way to last place.

Bottas recovered to eighth by the finish, but lost yet more ground to Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, who now leads the drivers' championship by 62 points.

Mercedes will take a decision on Bottas' future this month. The Finn is going up against Mercedes reserve Esteban Ocon for the seat as he looks to extend his stay with the team into a fourth season.

Speaking following Sunday's race in Hungary, Mercedes team boss Wolff showed sympathy for Bottas' difficult day, and stressed it would not have any impact on the decision regarding his future.

"It’s so sad for him. He was so pumped yesterday after his qualifying, his performance was brilliant and he was in the right space of mind before the race," Wolff said.

"But the unfortunate incident of flat spotting the tyre, 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.

"We will not let one race result influence our decision. It's more about compounding all the data, looking at it and making a decision.

"It’s stability and a great personality and a great driver versus giving youth a chance in the car with all the rewards and risks it can bring.

"We will start the process tomorrow and it's not going to be an easy one."