Emotional Wolff furious after dramatic final Hamilton qualifying

Toto Wolff has lamented the "inexcusable" decisions at Mercedes that led to Lewis Hamilton being eliminated in the first part of qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Austrian was clearly aggrieved by the situation, with the British driver only finishing Q1 in P18. He will be elevated to P16 due to grid penalties for Alexander Albon and Charles Leclerc.

The seven-time F1 drivers' champion will head to Ferrari at the end of the year, with the events that unfolding at the Yas Marina Circuit putting a dark mark on his farewell weekend.

Hamilton will have to work his way through the field if he is to salvage a result, but he is unlikely to be able claim a podium send-off which had looked attainable through the three practice sessions.

"What happened there is absolutely inexcusable. Inexcusable," Wolff declared to Sky Sports Germany. "Lewis is with us for the last race and we’re going to be clever and then try to come out last.

"I am so angry about this situation. It’s a shame to say goodbye to Lewis like this. There is no explanation for this, no excuse. It’s unbelievably unpleasant that such decisions are not made in a world-class team like ours."

Wolff underlined the risk associated with the run plan employed by the Brackley team, insisting that playing the session safe was the right thing to do.

"It’s simple. We wanted to do so well for him [Hamilton] this weekend, and then it’s really due to an idiot’s mistake," he added.

"This is what happens. And that is not the way we should and must do it - and not in such an important race. You don’t have to, you have to be human. You have to play it safe and not… look like you’re super clever."