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Cape Town - Formula 1 technical boss, Ross Brawn, has said Sebastian Vettel is "a bit out of sorts" and his errors are "no longer a coincidence".
Both rivals and pundits alike believe Vettel threw away another glorious opportunity at the United States Grand Prix, given Ferrari's returning pace and Kimi Raikkonen's long-awaited win.
Not for the first time this season, Vettel spun on the opening lap after a wheel-to-wheel battle and his P4 finish in Austin means only a disaster will prevent Lewis Hamilton from lifting a fifth World Championship this weekend in Mexico.
Brawn feels that something is amiss with Vettel and it is down to Ferrari to help him get back to his very best.
"On Friday there was a small one (mistake), when he failed to slow sufficiently for red flags, and he paid the price with a three-place penalty," said Brawn.
"Then, in the race, he yet again collided with a Red Bull, this time Ricciardo's, and once again Vettel came off worst.
"It was another lost opportunity to close the gap in the title fight, especially when we saw what Raikkonen did with the same car.
"I certainly don't want to put Vettel in the dock, but these incidents can no longer be seen as coincidence.
"Rather they would seem to indicate that Sebastian is a bit out of sorts at the moment.
"Now, any hope of bringing the drivers' title back to Maranello is dwindling and the time has come to do the maths.
"Their most important task is to work out how to help Vettel make the most of his massive talent."
