But it would be wrong to gloss over that achievement. After two consecutive titles, Ferrari have every right to be confident that they will dominate F1 for the foreseeable future - for which, read as long as Michael Schumacher is their driver.

Yet it was not very long ago that Ferrari were in a mess.

Ten years ago, Ferrari were in the middle of the least successful period in their history. Even six years ago, when Schumacher joined the Italian team, the car was a dog and a title seemed a long way away.

To turn that around in such spectacular fashion speaks volumes for Schumacher, and the team that sporting director Jean Todt has assembled around him, led by technical director Ross Brawn.

At the beginning of 2001, there was a feeling that having finally broken a 21-year championship duck, Ferrari might have eased off.

There is no doubt that they enjoyed breaking their duck. But it also seems as if they have taken to heart lead driver Schumacher's desire to create "a Ferrari era" in Formula One.

The F2001 was not the quickest car at every race, but it was the most consistently quick - and that is what matters when it comes to winning world championships. McLaren-Mercedes and, increasingly, Williams-BMW took the fight to Ferrari at times.

But it was the red cars - or, to be more precise, Schumacher's red car - that was always in the fight for race victory.

He averaged more than seven points a race for the season - and he won nine Grands Prix. On the way, F1 records tumbled, to the point that the only ones that he does not possess are for the number of pole positions and the number of championship titles.

Ferrari were perhaps being flattered by their main rivals under-performing.

McLaren slipped in 2001, and Williams' competitiveness depended to some extent on their new tyre supplier Michelin.

But that should take nothing away from Ferrari's achievements.