AUSTIN -- Sebastian Vettel thinks it would be "completely wrong" for Ferrari to panic after the setbacks which have derailed his 2017 title bid but says the team must work to ensure they do not spill over into future campaigns.
This year's championship fight has dramatically swung in Lewis Hamilton's direction since Vettel collided with Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull's Max Verstappen in Singapore. At the following two races, engine issues -- one in qualifying in Malaysia and one on the grid in Japan -- for Vettel have helped Hamilton open up a 59-point championship lead.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff recently speculated that the failures were a consequence of Ferrari's sustained push to keep itself in the championship fight, but Vettel rejects that assessment.
"No, I don't think [that's the case]," Vettel said. "There are reasons for the issues we had. there are things we must do better as a team, things that need to be managed and steered better from our side.
"It's normal you push the limits. Sometimes you push them too far. Sometimes you do small mistakes that have a consequence later on. It's always a mix of those things. But things can break. It hurts a lot when it happens but it doesn't happen for no reason so we need to make sure we find a solution to the problem and not just fix it but find a solution for the long term."
Despite facing the prospect of losing the 2017 title fight to Hamilton as early as this weekend's U.S. Grand Prix, Vettel says Ferrari will not let up.
"We're going for it. It would be completely wrong to drift off in your thoughts. We need to stay focused. We have a great car, we had a package to win the last couple of races. As it happens, we didn't. But that doesn't mean we have no chance to win the next races."
The initial failures prompted Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne to make changes to the team's quality department, saying an inexperienced engine department had failed to prevent the failures. Ferrari's dramatic reversal of fortunes has led to speculation about the future of team principal of Maurizio Arrivabene but Vettel says he has been a key part
When asked if there's a concern Ferrari could over-react in terms of organisational changes, Vettel replied: "No I don't think so. I think we are very busy in general. I don't think there is time to panic because we are so busy.
"Maurizio is doing a very good job in keeping everyone in the right line, looking forward. It's not my job to say. My role is to push as hard as possible on the track, that's my primary role. of course I speak to the guys, I was also in Maranello. Day to day, Maurizio is a lot more around for the people and there for the people. He's doing well. We are very busy. There's not much time to think about many things"