The Japanese Grand Prix was always likely to be the most revealing event of the quartet that kicked off the 2024 Formula 1 season considering it took place just six months after last year's Suzuka race.
It also completed a set of opening races on tracks with vastly different characteristics to measure teams' performance this year and progress since 2023, and was the first weekend of the season to feature significant upgrades.
But what conclusions can be drawn?
From a potentially huge change that's coming for one driver to another experiencing an unexpected weakness, the surprise year-on-year improver and the team who's gains haven't been enough, here are our main takeaways from the Japanese GP.
