‘We got it completely wrong’ - Wolff bemoans Mercedes’ “catastrophic” strategy

George Russell was left venting his frustrations at Mercedes after he plummeted down the order after initially staying out of slick tyres for too long when an early downpour hit. 

Having briefly led the race, Russell, who started third, believed Mercedes had thrown away a potential podium with their strategic decisions. 

And team principal Wolff agreed, telling Sky F1: "I think we stayed out catastrophically too long. 

"We got it completely wrong and it is annoying because the car had real pace.

"From there on, it was just recovering as good as we could. 

"I would rather have a fast race car and a mediocre result even though it hurts.

"It is bittersweet because the result is just really bad. It could have been - but that doesn’t count in this sport.”

Asked if he will personally review the mistakes, Wolff replied: “We will review thoroughly. The situation is never one person in one department. 

“It is the communication between driver, pit wall, strategy, weather, all of us taking decisions. It was sub-par from everyone and that includes me.

“It’s good when it hurts. When it stings, it sticks.” 

Russell ended up finishing 17th after late mechanical issues plagued his car, while Lewis Hamilton recovered from his disastrous qualifying to take sixth.