 Ferrari duo Brawn (left) and Schumacher celebrate the win |
After the pain comes the pleasure. Anonymous three weeks ago at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the champions - Michael Schumacher and Ferrari - returned with a vengeance in Italy.
"It was almost as if the team were trying to win for the first time ever," Ferrari's sporting director Jean Todt said.
"The tension we felt was as strong as our will to win."
"I think this is the greatest day in my career," Schumacher exclaimed after winning for the first time in three months.
"Don't ever underestimate me. We are too strong for that."
Juan Pablo Montoya would say aye to that.
His feisty challenge was unrelenting at Monza. His charges to get past the Ferrari through the first corners were thrilling.
But on this form Schumacher's attempt at a record sixth world title looks irresistible.
It was, as the team's technical director Ross Brawn acknowledged, "vintage Schumacher, vintage Ferrari".
Williams could have few complaints.
They'd come to Italy expecting a tough battle and they found one.
"We did what we could but Michael obviously did a little bit more," Williams chief operations officer Sam Michael admitted.
Some argued afterwards that Montoya lost the race by losing pole position on Saturday by a fraction of a second.
But once the lights had gone out on race day, the team backed their men.
"Juan drove faultlessly to a valuable second place and Marc (Gene) did a fantastic job (to come fifth), considering the little time he had to prepare," Michael insisted.
The absence of post-race comment about the performance of the tyres, Michelin or Bridgestone - such a vexed issue in the buildup - was not just a welcome relief.
It indicated that Schumacher's 50th victory in Ferrari red was a bona fide triumph.
The worry for Williams, and more so for Kimi Raikkonen, who is now seven points adrift of the title leader, is the manner of Ferrari's competitive return.
"It augurs well for the last two races of the season," Brawn claimed.
 Raikkonen must do well in the USA |
Time is certainly running out for Raikkonen. He needs a big score at the US GP in two weeks if he's to reach the last race within touching distance of the title.
Montoya refused to be downcast afterwards, maintaining that his FW25 car will fly around the higher downforce layouts of Indianapolis and Suzuka, in contrast to the low downforce demands of Monza.
But Williams insiders beg to differ over Japan where Schumacher always thrives.
Their fear is that in a straight fight in the final race, with points as precious as ever, Ferrari will have the edge.
By then, Jacques Villeneuve should know if he has a future in Formula One.
Schumacher's great adversary from the 1997 campaign - sixth at Monza - has been told that he's not wanted by BAR's engine partner, Honda, for 2004.
Villeneuve said he'd had no offer to stay, and no offer to move elsewhere.
So unless his supporters within the team's title sponsors can strike a rescue deal, the Canadian will likely be replaced by Japan's ex-Jordan driver Takuma Sato.
Britain's Justin Wilson is another fearing for his F1 career.
His third Jaguar retirement in as many races means he now has to save his drive around two completely unfamiliar tracks.
Jaguar management has already displayed ruthlessness in disposing of Antonio Pizzonia this season.
And if Alexander Wurz could be prised from McLaren, complete with crucial sponsorship funding, Britain's newest Grand Prix recruit could find himself out of a job only weeks after he was poached from Minardi.
MMIX
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We did what we could but Michael obviously did a little bit more 
