Arrivabene: Ferrari need to replicate Mercedes' 'winning habit'

Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene has looked back on the Scuderia's 2017 season with regret as they were once again unable to topple Mercedes to claim the Formula One world championship, but did offer some respectful praise for the 'winning mentality' which has seen the Silver Arrows win four titles in a row.

The Prancing Horse started the past campaign positively as Sebastian Vettel claimed the flag in three out of the opening six Grand Prix races.

However, Ferrari was unable to sustain a championship challenge over the entire season and eventually emerged second-best to Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton also winning the drivers' title.

Arrivabene was honest in his assessment of the season, and spoke of his admiration of Mercedes' winning mentality and Ferrari's need to get to that level.

"For Mercedes, first place is not an event but a habit," the Ferrari boss told Speed Week.

"That's how it has to be for us in the future. We are on an uptrend, but the fact remains that we were not good enough to win the championship.

"If you do not respect a team that has won four consecutive world titles, who will you respect? For me, their great strength lies in the organisation.

"Perhaps it is also the winning habit that makes the difference. Sometimes you get a pole position and it's a big deal.

"But to be in front, whether it's in qualifying or in the race, it should be the natural result of our work."

Arrivabene went on to compare Mercedes' campaign to a glass of water - the first part of the season was a glass half-full and the second part was water used for headache tablets.

"I see the season like a glass of water.

"By the middle of the season, the glass was half full. But then we used the remaining water to dissolve the headache tablets at the end of the season," he joked.

"We worked well and never gave up, which is the positive aspect for me. But things did not go in our favour. Mercedes deserved to win.

"We have to work harder. We know what we need to do in the future."