In a week where Formula One has been in a fight simply to build up enough strength and resilience to even race, after the tragic loss of young star Jules Bianchi, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes could find some joy in their dominant performance.
Hamilton Dominates
After a close fight with Nico Rosberg last time out at the British Grand Prix, Hamilton had to lay down a marker to show his rivals he was still out in front. While Rosberg may have had struggles, Hamilton made sure he capitalised. He topped all three practice time sheets and then kept up that speed as he proceeded to top all three qualifying sessions as well. Lewis finished his final qualifying lap over half a second quicker than Nico. He could have been even quicker aswell after it was confirmed by team principal, Toto Wolff, that if Hamilton hadn't have made a mistake on one of the corners he could have been an extra 0.2 seconds quicker.
Rosberg had already admitted before qualifying that he had been uncomfortable in his W06 for a long time and has had to learn to get used to a long standing brake problem. While Hamilton dismissed the idea that the Mercedes' has any chinks in its armour, the German driver put it down to a case of personal feeling.
Red Bull Resurgence
It was a good day for Red Bull as their upgrades finally began to start to show some effect. While Daniel Ricciardo couldn't eventually challenge Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel enough to take third place, they did close the gap impressively. He jumped both of the Williams drivers and Ricciardo did even beat Kimi Raikkonen into fourth place. It's an impressive jump for the Austrian team when you consider that just a month ago the team were threatening to leave the sport due to their depressing form and lack of speed.
We All Remember Jules
There has been a particularly sombre mood around the paddock this weekend as everyone considers the thought that F1 still isn't as safe as some consider. More importantly however the majority of the teams and drivers have lost a friend, a future star and most importantly a member of the F1 family.
As a way of rememberance all cars are running a sticker in one form or another as a tribute to Jules. Hamilton for example is using a sticker that reads #JB17. Another sticker has been made available to all drivers from the Grand Prix Driver's Association. It features the message; "You will always race with us" and the two hashtags #CiaoJules and #RacingUnited. In terms of the actual race on Sunday there will be a minutes silence observed 15 minutes before the race is due to start.