On the face of it, a Formula 1 finale in Abu Dhabi should represent good news for Ferrari. The Scuderia has improved its engine substantially this season, to the point where Mercedes' Niki Lauda reckons it's on a par with his team's power unit, and the Yas Marina circuit is a sequence of long straights punctuated by a sequence of short 90-degree turns of the type that Sebastian Vettel thrived on in Singapore.
But a glance at the headline times suggests Ferrari is struggling here, particularly in the final sector of lap, where most of those 90-degree twists are situated.
Vettel was only fifth fastest in the all-important second free practice session on Friday evening - crucial because it is the only session that takes place in conditions representative of those F1 competitors will face come qualifying and the race. Owing to the high heat of the daytime, FP1 and FP3 are, to borrow Sergio Perez's phrasing, "a bit useless".