2014 Australian Grand Prix

But this was all a full 24 seconds after Nico Rosberg had completed his race in the Mercedes. It could surely have been even more.

There was nothing to touch the silver arrows, which appeared to have an advantage of around one second per lap on the best of the rest. The first race of the brave new hybrid world surrendered itself to the number six Merc and a Rosberg led the world championship for the first time since 1982.

His victory was made immeasurably easier by the retirement of his team-mate, the pole-sitting Lewis Hamilton, whose engine had dropped a cylinder before the race even began.