Toto Wolff has described Mercedes’ defeat to Formula 1 rivals Red Bull at the season-ending Abu 𒐪Dhabi Grand Prix as being given a “slap on the wrist”.

The German manufacturer had previously never been beaten at the Yas 🔴Marina Circuit in the V6 hybrid era it has dominated, but in Sunday’s finale Max Verstappen romped home to a comfortable and controlled second victory o𝄹f the 2020 season.

Mercedes appeared to have no answer to Verstappen’s pace as the Dutchman pull🐎ed clear and was never challenged, finishing 15 seconds up the road from Valtteri Bottas at the flag, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton holding off the second Red Bull of Alex Albon to complete the podium in third.

"🐎You can see that everybody has weaknesses, and we weren't on our A 𝐆game this weekend," Wolff said.

"That's simply a fact. Red Bull won fair and square. You can see that Albon also had a verಌy good race, so they have a very good race car, and shows that when their car is in the right place, both drivers do a really good job.

"Probably Albon's pace was quicker than us by the end. They could have been well ahead, and even worse fo💖r us.

"We're leaving this race with a slap on the wrist. It wasn't a great weekend for us. It was a car that🍃 has never let us down 🉐all year, maybe apart from this last weekend.”

Hamilton, who was returning to action for Mercedes after missing the Sakhir Grand Prix due to contracti꧃ng COVID-19, admitted he was not “100%” fit throughou𓂃t the weekend in Abu Dhabi as he turned in a low-key drive on his way to third.

Asked w☂hether he felt a fully fit Hamilton would have resulted in a different outcome  and seen Mercedes end a record-breaking year on a winning note, Wolff♋ replied: “No. The answer is no.

“Because of course, he wasn’t 100%, and that’s always negative, but Red Bull, both cars were simply quicker than us this whole weekend. We🐽 never quite got it right.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner wa﷽s delighted his side was able to end Mercedes’ winning streak in Abu Dhabi and said the team’s performances was a demonstration ဣof the progress it has made during the second half of the season.

“We’ve just been chipping away at the car and over the last third of the year we made genuine pr𒅌og🐼ress,” Horner explained.

“We were unlucky in Imola, Turkey didn’t go our way, the first Bahrain was decent and the second Bahrain we were unluc🎃ky.

“And then here in Abu Dhabi, to be the first team💝 to beat Mercedes in a straight fight at this circuit since winning it ourselves in 2013, is a great achievement and gives the whole team a huge am♏ount of energy as we head into what will be a very short winter.”