Sebastian Vettel says Ferrari "can't be proud" of their 2016 season, having failed to win a single race or even challenge Mercedes' dominance.
The Italian squad won three races with Vettel last year and were bullish about their prospects this season, with Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne demanding they be in the title battle.
However Ferrari are currently third in the standings after falling behind Red Bull in second and although they came close to wins earlier in the year, their performance has tailed off in the latter stages.
"All in all, I think the car has been a very good step from last year," Vettel said ahead of the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
"I think our performance was actually better than the results have shown at times, but circumstances weren't always the best.
"Nevertheless we can't be proud of this year because we came into the season wanting to fight for the championship and we did not, so the target for next year is very clear.
"It's an enormous challenge for all the teams, including ourselves, to get the cars ready for next year with so many changes, but that's what we are here for."
Vettel is hopeful that Ferrari can end the season on a high at track that should suit their car.
"We are here to fight. I've said it many times that the season hasn't gone the way we wanted but we are here to fight until the end. In general it should be a good track for us. I don't see why not."
