But the day belonged to Hamilton. The 41-year-old had his doubters in his debut season with the Scuderia last year. And to be honest, in his final few seasons with Mercedes too. But the seven-time world champion has looked revitalised this year. And even though he needed the help of a virtual safety car with 25 laps remaining to claim the lead from Russell – until then it had looked like it was going to come down to a grandstand finish between the three-stopping Hamilton and the two-stopping Russell – the speed at which he pulled away from the Mercedes after that suggested he would have won anyway.

Russell conceded afterwards that he would have, adding that he felt his former team-mate was now in this title fight. “The pace today was insane from Lewis, so yeah, they [Ferrari] are coming, I think,” he said.

It does look as if Hamilton might be at least. This was his first win in 686 days (since the 2024 Belgian GP), his first time crossing the line in first place in 707 days (since the 2024 British GP), and it leaves him 41 points behind Antonelli in second place in the championship, with Russell a further nine points behind.

Hamilton appeared to be choking up over the radio as he returned his car to the pits.

“Grazie tutti to everyone at Maranello,” Hamilton told his team. “I can’t thank you enough. I’m so proud of you. And to my family, I love you. And to my fans, thank you for reminding me who I am. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

More to follow…