Having started the test as slowest of the nine teams present, Renault ended it as the fastest, with Nico Hülkenberg bolting on a set of Pirelli’s Compound 5 tyres to a set a 1m17.393s lap.

The German’s benchmark aligned with what Pirelli’s F1 boss Mario Isola had suspected, with the softest compounds being 0.6 seconds quicker than Compound 4. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was best on that tyre, setting a 1m17.977s that was 0.584s slower than Hulkenberg. For those thinking Mercedes had been sandbagging, it would be sensible to assume that if Hamilton had used the C5 tyre he would’ve been at least 0.016s up on Hulkenberg.

Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas did use the C5, albeit earlier in the day when the track wasn’t as rubbered in. It put him fourth for the day, behind Renault’s Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo, and Toro Rosso’s Alexander Albon.

Albon was fastest in the morning, and despite not improving only dropped to second. The Thai clocked 135 laps, which in addition to Red Bull driver Pierre Gasly’s total, put Honda engines on 4454km of running. Back in 2017 it was just 968.

Formula 1 testing starts today, and we can finally see which is the quickest car for 2019. Or so you’d think. This first test, held at Barcelona like last year, is more about checking that engineering concepts and components function correctly on track rather than speed. But unless your engine is shutting down as soon as you leave pitlane, topping the times is what grabs headlines.

Mercedes has been the team to beat since 2017’s regulation overhaul, and unsurprisingly was fastest from the off last year. It was still top by the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, but the pecking order behind was different to what Barcelona testing had led many to believe.

Ferrari looked to be a clear second after the first test, but Red Bull hadn’t demonstrated its true pace, and it was neck-and-neck behind Mercedes by Australia. Going the opposite direction was McLaren, third fastest in Barcelona but sixth in reality, having used a faster tyre compound in testing.

Nearly every other team failed to improve (or Mercedes had sandbagged), as by Australia were further from the front. Force India, which covered the least miles at the test, had the smallest drop-off, while slowest team Sauber improved marginally.

Citroën has historically underperformed at Rally Sweden, a snow-based event that has lost some of its wintery feel of late. Although not its worst result, Kris Meeke’s fifth place in 2017 with the tricky new C3 WRC car was the manufacturer’s nadire.

"I'm not f***ing driving this," was Meeke’s summary of events.

Although the C3’s inherent suspension problems have since been solved and Meeke’s been replaced by six-time champion Sébastien Ogier, victory at Sweden was still a challenge this year.

The 2018 and ‘19 editions have run at a later date than any other since 1991, so average temperatures have risen. There’s less ice and more gravel, and after several rally cars had driven the stages, severe ruts.

Running first on the road for the opening loop of stages initially shielded Ogier from the ruts, and as the most successful non-Scandinavian on the rally he was ideally placed to end Citroën’s losing run, dating back to Sébastien Loeb’s sole 2004 victory.

It wasn’t to be, with Ogier crashing on the way to 29th and Esapekka Lappi saving Citroën’s blushes with second place. The C3, like the C4 and DS3 before it, remains a winless car in Sweden.

There are not many in motorsport whose achievements can rival that of Valentino Rossi, who reached his 40th birthday on February 16. The Italian has won seven MotoGP titles, spanning from 2001 to ‘09, and has competed in almost 37% of all races held since 1949.

His staying power has been matched by his results, picking up 89 wins and a further 107 podiums, with records that are continuously being extended.

One of Rossi’s most impressive achievements, and one that trumps Formula 1 and the World Rally Championship’s equivalent records, is consecutive podiums. His tally of 23 between the 2002 Portuguese Grand Prix and 2004 South African GP also makes him the fourth rider to finish every race of a season on the podium.

At 40 he’s still motivated to win, and has finished every year in the top five in the standings since his debut in 2000, bar his disappointing two-year stint with Ducati in 2011-’12.

Rossi should be applauded for taking up the challenge to ride for Ducati, after titles with Honda and Yamaha. He came achingly close to joining Mike Hailwood, Eddie Lawson and Randy Mamola as the only riders to have won with three different manufacturers.