The simple fact is that for 52 laps Mercedes outperformed Red Bull, the car was better and the driver was better.
Then with a 12 sec lead and 6 laps left and the race over, neither Hamilton or Mercedes did anything wrong nor did they suffer any mechanical failure of any kind, yet despite that they were put in a position that they had no chance to win the race.
Regardless of rules, that simple fact turns F1 into a joke of a sport if that can be true.