After the madness of Monte Carlo and Montreal, Ferrari just wanted a straightforward, no-nonsense weekend to demonstrate that they still had the edge in the 2008 title battle, and to accumulate some points to make up for those they had recently missed out on.
Sure enough, they claimed their second consecutive French Grand Prix one-two finish, but it was not without drama - despite Magny-Cours' reputation as the home of the soporific non-event.
For while Felipe Massa took victory and consequently headed home with the points lead for the first time in his career, he only did so after his teammate Kimi Raikkonen suffered a bizarre exhaust glitch while leading, and then had to cling on to his advantage during a nerve-wracking late-race rain shower.