Friday's free practice sessions had been washed out by rain, as Melbourne's unpredictable microclimate undermined the first day of action for Formula 1 in 2016.
But Saturday's final free practice and controversial qualifying session gave everyone a much better read of where they stack up competitively.
Many paddock personalities talked about the fact no one in F1 really knows where they stand until everyone fits super-soft tyres, dumps out the excess fuel, turns up their engines and lets rip on Saturday afternoon in Australia.