The Italian press has savaged Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel as the Maranello team's 2018 title falls apart.

After Suzuka, it might be said that the final nail in the coffin of Vettel's championship charge was hammered in.

And given that Ferrari at one stage looked the favourite with the best car in the field, the fiercely proud and partisan Italian press is not amused.

"Ferrari is in ruins," said La Gazzetta dello Sport after the Japanese grand prix.

"There are strategists who make mistakes, a weak driver who learns nothing from mistakes, a team boss who attacks his team, and a car in decline.

"Before Monza, you could hardly have imagined such a collapse."

La Stampa agreed: "Maybe it's bad luck, but it's also a fact that Sebastian Vettel no longer does anything right."

Coriere dello Sport surmised: "The problem can only be the team and its drivers -- Vettel is in a deep existential crisis."

Corriere della Sera said that while Ferrari erred in qualifying on Saturday, it was Vettel who threw away the Japanese grand prix with his clash against Max Verstappen.

"The German adds to his collection of horror mistakes by destroying a fantastic start," it read.

"These mistakes are an expression of a deep unrest within the four time champion, who is experiencing a crisis of confidence."

It was La Repubblica, however, that arguably summed it up best.

"While Hamilton reaches for Fangio's record, Ferrari's season fails," it said.

"Vettel chose the worst moment to lose and Ferrari breaks up under team boss Maurizio Arrivabene, who criticises his own people."