Off the record Ferrari, like most of the Formula 1 paddock, would have long ago accepted that this season was over and Mexico simply the final nail in a coffin with many nails.
But team boss Maurizio Arrivabene is already leading the charge for next year by calling on the team to make winning a habit.
Ferrari began this season in fine form but faltered midway to the point that by Mexico their title chase was over, first of the losers their reward yet again as Mercedes again rose to the occasion and conquered all, nearly all there is still the constructors' contest to be decided in the final two rounds.
Speaking at the Ferrari Finali Mondiale at Monza, Arrivabene compared his team to the Silver Arrows when talking to media at the event, "There are areas where we are superior, others where they are, but I think we still lack the habit of winning."
"For [Mercedes] to have a one-two is almost ordinary. For us, it is still an exceptional event. We must be more aware of our means and not be afraid of winning."
"In tennis, they call it 'il braccino' the fear of winning that comes when you are close to the goal. We must trust ourselves, and make the victory a good habit."
Arivabene: The lesson we have understood is that you do not need to point the finger at someone
The Italian team chief wants to eliminate the element of blame that can prevail when teams are beaten, "There was a moment when we were a phenomenon, then a phase in which the finger was pointed at the driver, and finally followed by a period where the car was the target."
"In the end, we understood even more that we win and we lose all together. There were mistakes from Vettel and to a lesser extent from the team, but the lesson we have understood is that you do not need to point the finger at someone.
"There is a manager of the racing team and it's me. I got angry once [Suzuka] but I think that once in three and a half years we can accept."
"When things go wrong I'm here, and I've always said it. But when it's all right, my satisfaction is to go under the podium, singing the anthem, and applaud. Once, maybe I will also get on the podium, but there is a long list of people who deserve to go there before me."
Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen have spearheaded the team under Arrivabene's watch, the German carrying the team's title hopes made some glaring errors this year.
Arrivabene: Raikkonen and Vettel are similar in many ways
His mistake at Monza ignited harsh criticism from the Italian media, the enemy within for the Scuderia, but Arrivabene insisted the team supported their beleaguered driver.
"Raikkonen and Vettel are similar in many ways," he explained. "But while with Kimi in some moments you need to talk a bit more, with Seb you need to make him feel the support of the team."
"He was criticised a lot for what happened at Monza, but he was just trying to give a great satisfaction to the fans – and he struggled a lot to digest the outcome of that weekend."
"In this sense, it did not help him to find in the following races that he had a car that was not at its best. These are understandable problems, and the human factor is important," added Arrivabene.
Ferrari head to the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend trailing Mercedes by 55 points in the constructors' standings with two rounds remaining. The last time the Reds won a Formula 1 title was in 2008 when Raikkonen and Felipe Massa did the business in the constructors' championship.
Big Question: Is Maurizio the right man to lead Ferrari?
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