‘It’s a bruising day’ - Wolff concedes Mercedes simply had ‘no pace’ in Austria

Despite starting from fifth on the grid, Lewis Hamilton dropped down the order as he struggled with outright pace, losing out to Lando Norris and then Fernando Alonso as he served his five-second penalty for track limits.

George Russell ultimately finished eighth after starting the race from 11th.

It meant that Mercedes were arguably the fifth-fastest team in Austria - behind Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin.

In recent years, Mercedes have tended to struggle in Austria, while Hamilton’s record at the Red Bull Ring is fairly average by his high standards.

Speaking to Sky after the race, Wolff admitted “the car had no pace”.

“The car had no pace today,” he said.

"It’s a bruising day I would say because we had such a good upward trend and you have to take such a day.

“There was no pace and no inkling why yet.” 

Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz speculated that Hamilton was nursing a brake issue in the first stint.

Wolff explained why Hamilton struggled with braking.

“I think the moment you slide those tyres be it through braking or the corners you have no grip,” he added. This is what happened.”