Just think about that for a moment, then cast your mind back to how Kimi Raikkonen became the world’s third Finnish champion at the very last race.

There were signs all the way through that Ferrari weren’t quite themselves in the post-Michael Schumacher era. There were times when the cars lacked their usual bulletproof reliability, when the drivers made mistakes, when the radically long-wheelbased F2007 wasn’t quite up to the job on some types of circuit. They weren’t simply missing Schumacher, they were missing the calming influence of Ross Brawn, too. Yet they came through to win despite all that, and all the politics that raged around the Scuderia and McLaren like a never-ending tornado.

All of which means that, in the calmer seas that must surely characterise 2008, the red cars will be formidable opposition. All through winter testing they have been very quick, and Raikkonen and partner Felipe Massa both believe they have the tools to do the job with a lot less drama this year. Make no mistake, these are the favourites.