Page last updated at 11:29 GMT, Wednesday, 27 July 2011 12:29 UK
Red Bull driver Vettel has won six of this season's 10 grands prix
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh does not believe Sebastian Vettel is starting to crack under pressure.
Reigning champion Vettel holds a 77-point cushion over Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber in the standings after a dream start to the season.
But the 24-year-old was only fourth after a spin in Germany to miss the podium for the first time in 12 races.
Whitmarsh said: "We can't bring about his failure, all we can do is put pressure on him."
McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton took victory at the Nurburgring last weekend but is still 82 points behind Vettel in third as he tries to regain the title he won in 2008.
F1 2011 DRIVER STANDINGS
- Sebastian Vettel: 216 points
- Mark Webber: 139
- Lewis Hamilton: 134
- Fernando Alonso: 130
- Jenson Button: 109
Vettel also made a mistake in Canada last month, running wide on the final lap to hand victory to Hamilton's team-mate Jenson Button, but Whitmarsh does not see the German struggling for the rest of the season.
He said: "People may characterise it as cracking under pressure but in fairness I don't think that was the case. He simply made a couple of mistakes.
"He has done a pretty good job so far this year, so I don't think he is cracking. We just have to concentrate on our own act, improve our performance, reliability, everything we do.
"If that turns out to be good enough to win races then that will be great."
Credit: BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)
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