Sebastian Vettel says he is still a championship contender and will be a better driver for the errors that have cost him dearly this year.
The 23-year-old Red Bull driver failed to collect any points at last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix after crashing into Jenson Button in a botched passing attempt.
Button was forced to retire but Vettel continued after a drive-through penalty and a front-wing change, eventually finishing in 15th place.
It was the Red Bull driver's second-successive penalty, having been docked for driving too slow behind the safety car at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The German was also involved in a collision with team-mate Mark Webber at the Turkish Grand Prix in May which cost Red Bull a one-two finish.
But Vettel says he is keeping a positive attitude as he continues to learn and grow as a driver.
"Formula One is a great show, and if all goes well, you're the greatest," Vettel told Auto Bild Motorsport.
"But if you make an error, and some people simply do not understand exactly the reasons why, then you very quickly become the idiot."
"The most important thing is I know truth."
"In Hungary I slept during the safety car and made a mistake, and again when I lost the car when overtaking Jenson."
"But you can't change anything except to try and ensure it doesn't happen again. In the end, making a mistake makes you a better driver."
Vettel also dismissed suggestions the championship is now out of reach after falling 31 points behind leader Lewis Hamilton.
"In the first 13 races not everything has gone smoothly, but I am only 31 points behind," he said.
"We are a team, and although we have had big problems, we have still scored many points."
"That's not because we have been lucky, but because our package is extremely strong."
The Formula One season continues with next weekend's Italian Grand Prix in Monza.