Sky F1's Martin Brundle believes Sebastian Vettel is a driver who has now "lost judgment and reactions" as he reaches the late stage of his career in F1.
Vettel was fiercely dicing with Max Verstappen in Sunday's British Grand Prix when the Ferrari driver was overhauled by the Dutchman at Stowe corner.
As the pair barreled down into Vale, Vettel missed his braking point and ploughed into the back of the Red Bull, spinning both drivers out of contention.
For Brundle, the blunder was but another tell-tale sign, after last year's multiple errors and mishaps that occurred earlier this season in Bahrain and Canada, that the German is slowly losing his edge as he enters the twilight of his career in Grand Prix racing.
"Is he just having an unfortunate run, or has he lost a touch of vision, reaction and judgement which shows up at these speeds when under pressure?" asked Brundle in his post-race Sky Sports column.
"I like the man so much and admire his track record, intellect, and human values, but I long ago lost the right as a pundit to sit on the fence.
"As we have seen with many drivers in the later stages of their careers, he has lost judgement and reactions in wheel-to-wheel action."
As Brundle described the circumstances of the misstep, the former F1 driver tried to find mitigating factors. In vain, however.
"I know how easily that Silverstone incident can happen," said the Brit.
"F1 cars, without brake lights, can slow five times harder than the finest road car.
"Then, just as you panic a little too hard onto the brake pedal you lose front downforce and grip as your two-metre-wide front wing disappears underneath your rival's gearbox.
"To add to this, Vettel had some right steering lock applied, hoping to sweep across the back of the Red Bull, which would have but some roll moment and jacking into his front suspension.
"Boom, brakes and therefore tyres locked solid, retardation dramatically reduced, contact imminent."
Brundle noted that Lewis Hamilton, while older than Vettel, is displaying no signs of messiness on the race track.
"Lewis does not make mistakes like that, and he's two-and-a-half years older than Seb for that matter," he added.
"Meanwhile, Leclerc in the other Ferrari is gaining speed and confidence all the time.
"Seb has the speed, can he regain the control? It's a very big question for him."
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