The one thing you need to know about every big conference

Yes, the top three — the ‘Silver Arrows’ along with Ferrari and Red Bull — again won all the races, just as they have for the past five years. At the front, however, the fight for supremacy was far closer, with the outcome far from clear and Mercedes having to wait until the fourth race to open their win account. Ferrari won six, their best effort since 2008 but still some way short of what might have been, and were hit hard by the death mid-season of combative chairman Sergio Marchionne and their own mistakes.