The dawn of a second ground-effect era for Formula 1 only heightened the anticipation around the first race of a new season, as a fresh competitive order was revealed in Bahrain.
Those lofty expectations were largely met as Charles Leclerc and defending champion Max Verstappen battled hard for victory over three critical laps before the Red Bulls faltered.
That in turn reduced the pressure on Leclerc as he delivered on the promise shown by Ferrari in testing to head a Scuderia 1-2 over his circumspect team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr.
Although Lewis Hamilton bagged a podium after the woe that befell Sergio Perez, it seems Mercedes was right to play down expectations with a car that was third fastest at Sakhir.
Meanwhile, the decision from Haas to pin its hopes on 2022 proved fruitful and points finishes for both Alfa Romeo drivers completed what appeared to be a popular top 10.
And at the other end of the order, three historic British names struggled to get going.
Here are 10 things we…
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