After all the doom mongering about the competitive state of Formula 1 in Australia, following another dominant one-two finish for the Mercedes drivers, last Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix provided the perfect tonic.
Complaints about a lack of opposition and the need for the FIA to look at equalising engine performance were swiftly silenced, as Sebastian Vettel shocked the established order (and himself!) by beating Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in a straight fight at Sepang. As Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted afterwards: "We were beaten fair and square".
The rise of Vettel and Ferrari from zeros to heroes in the space of one winter and two races is a wonderful illustration of how quickly things can change in Formula 1. Last year marked Ferrari's first winless season in the world championship since 1993, when Vettel was just six years old. That disastrous campaign prompted widespread change within Maranello.