So in he will step - the monosyllablist with the jagged, glacial, helmet design - that once-familiar McLaren man. In he will climb, unrecognisable now in his red Puma race suit, sliding into that famous, detailed seat and settling now - as if he belongs there - right into the centre, the heart, of Michael Schumacher's world.
The new world, that is to say, of Kimi-Matias Raikkonen.
Of course, this is more than just your standard driver swap.
I mean, how do you refill the footwell of the most successful F1 champion of all time? How do you follow that act? You cannot. It cannot be reproduced. The combination will never again be as strong - that mix of Michael, the Ferrari team and the merging of minds.