Mercedes in a ‘dungeon’ says Toto Wolff as team’s woes continue at Belgian GP

The Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, has made his most public admission of how hard the team have found being soundly beaten by Red Bull and Ferrari this season.

After another trying weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix, Wolff referred to their desperate straits as a “dungeon” which was proving harder to cope with than anything the team had experienced before.

Max Verstappen won for Red Bull at Spa-Francorchamps with a dominant run coming through the field from 14th on the grid to a victory that emphasised his skill and what a remarkable car he has this season. After 14 races and with eight remaining, a second title is within his grasp but Mercedes, in stark contrast, were once more left floundering by a car they still do not understand and whose performance from week to week remains an enigma.

The seven-times champion Lewis Hamilton who has enjoyed Mercedes dominance in taking six titles with the team – who have won eight constructors’ titles in a row since 2014 – was almost two seconds off Verstappen’s pace in qualifying in Belgium, pointedly noting he could not wait to move on to next year’s model. Wolff conceded it was hard to cope with being relegated to an also-ran.

“They say you never lose you learn, I can tell you it is fucking difficult,” he said. “All these nice Instagram posts and everything we have talked about over the eight years, about how we are going to take this when you arrive in the dungeon. To stick to your principles and your values, to keep the spirit up and continue to relentlessly seek to get better? Phew. There is more to write a book about this year than there is about the last eight years.”

Hamilton’s race ended on lap one when he hit Fernando Alonso going for a pass at Les Combes but once