OK, it is not exactly a Formula One demise, but Nico Rosberg’s record so far this season is, for him and his Mercedes team, a matter of grave concern.
He has been overshadowed, outpaced and outwitted by teammate and current title holder Lewis Hamilton and threatened and headed, too, by Ferrari’s resurgent twosome Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.
And if he does not get his act together pretty soon and recapture his 2014 style and occasional winning ways, he is in real danger of fading as a championship challenger and being branded embarrassingly as an also-ran.
Private personality that he is, the 29-year-old, a career winner eight times, generally prefers not to reveal his innermost worries whatever level the mental turmoil might reach and instead opts to be tight-lipped.
But this time around in the search for grand prix glory and the vast salary riches that accompany it, I would guess he has talked over his concerns and rising doubts with the Mercedes hierarchy — the extremely experienced wise old heads of Niki Lauda, a three-time champion, and race team guiding light Toto Wolff.
Two second and two third places, but disastrously adrift of three-time winner Hamilton and one-off victor Vettel, have been his stuttering start, with not even the slightest hint that he might reverse his losing run.
That inescapable evidence points to a major problem and a mystery. What has gone wrong?
Grand Prix legend Sir Jackie Stewart fears it is a mental setback, but reckons Rosberg can master it.
The Scot, a former champion, says: “At the moment I think Nico is depressed about his situation because Lewis has been delivering with such steady consistency.
“But that is a problem that might not last forever because Nico is a top driver. I firmly believe he can overcome the setback.
“He has had some time off from the last race and that, I hope, has given him space to think about what has gone wrong and to get his head in the right place and his brain in gear.
“Even so, it will be tough because Lewis right now is focused and driving very seriously and cleverly without too many mistakes. He is without doubt the fastest driver on track at the moment. Right in the groove.”
Ahead of this Sunday’s clash in Spain, not a scene of success for Rosberg with a best of only one second place last year, Lauda added: “Nico has to try harder to put Lewis under pressure and break his run. He has the ability. He has to shake himself to the challenge.”
And Wolff added: “Nico would not be in Formula One as a multi-race winner and challenger for the championship if he allowed himself to be destabilised after just a few races.
“I fully expect him to bounce back.”
That is a forecast to hearten the Mercedes diehards. The mega question is: when?
— The writer is a freelance journalist and motorsport expert