Vettel "past his peak" - according to Stewart

Former F1 driver Sir Jackie Stewart believes that four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel is "past his peak".

Vettel couldn't do better than race winner Max Verstappen in Mexico; meaning that Lewis Hamilton was given his fifth world championship.

The German driver has made a string of mistakes this season and Stewart believes this is an indication of Vettel being past his best.

"I think Sebastian is past his peak and Lewis is still building to his," Sir Jackie told Bild. "There's no reason Sebastian cannot come back, but it will be very difficult because after a season like that you are more critical of yourself, and what you want to do and what you don't want to do."

The individual errors Vettel has made have been his major downfall and Stewart believes that the Ferrari driver's best days could be behind him, despite being two years younger than his title rival Hamilton.

"He came into Formula One at 20 and was a four-time world champion by 26," Stewart said. "It's not possible to keep blaming everyone else. If you fight for a world championship and you see that a move you make could be a problem for you, you don't necessarily try it. You wait for the right moment.

"I like Sebastian very much and he is a very good driver. Very emotional, and technically maybe still the best, but he does not have clear mind like he used to."