The history of Scuderia Ferrari at the Malaysian Grand Prix can be divided into two phases. The first, from 1999 to 2008, was full of success, some of them astonishing: like Michael Schumacher in the wet in 2001, the inaugural race with the same Schumacher who played good cop bad cop in qualifying and the race to let his team-mate Eddie Irvine win, then in 2008 with a simply mighty Kimi Raikkonen. But from the Finn’s success onwards a wretched period began for the Prancing Horse in the furnace of Sepang: no points in 2009 and just sixth place for Massa in 2010, a feat repeated last year by the same Brazilian who beat team-mate Fernando Alonso to the flag.

It’s true that all three of these grands prix have been characterised by unusual episodes – rain in the 2009 race and in 2010 qualifying, then contact between Alonso and Hamilton in 2011 – but it’s also true that in recent years the Scuderia has never been competitive at the highest level in Sepang. ...