What if Sergio Marchionne means business? What if he really is thinking of taking Ferrari out of Formula 1, given that in his opinion (but also that of Mercedes, Renault and perhaps Honda) neither Liberty Media nor the FIA understand that the end goal of racing at the highest level isn't just about making and selling a show, but is also about creating technology linked to the cars we drive every day?

We have to start taking this question seriously. It was in Bahrain that Liberty presented its manifesto for a post-2020 F1 to the teams behind closed doors, then outlined the bare bones of the proposals to the public via a press release.

Maranello's response was telling. There was no comment: the advice given by Marchionne to Maurizio Arrivabene and the other Ferrari directors was to avoid expressing even the slightest opinion - unlike Mercedes' Toto Wolff, who was diplomatic but non-committal, saying: "It's a good base for discussion."