Lewis Hamilton’s face lit up and the Tifosi waved flags after the £60million man in red’s race of redemption for Ferrari.

But only 24 hours before it had been far bleaker. Hamilton qualified 12th, a place below team-mate Charles Leclerc. It was Ferrari’s worst qualifying showing in all 32 grands prix staged at Imola, this quaint track just over an hour, and a traffic jam, away from the Scuderia’s Maranello HQ.

Hamilton was helped by the two stoppages caused by broken-down cars, having dropped a place at the start to Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, whom he could not overhaul in their long early duel. He made a host of later passes, including on George Russell, Alex Albon and Leclerc.