at the end

Norris headed Piastri by 0.209 seconds at the end of a gripping, topsy-turvy qualifying session at the final race of the season.

Leclerc went fastest with a lap at the end of the second session, but he had it deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn One.

He told BBC Sport: "I was the last car on track and ran out of time ultimately, and then I got the bollard at the end which went under the car and I lost all downforce so it couldn't have gone worse really."

His speech, which No 10 had been contemplating since before the Budget at the end of October, does give you and me a card with which to mark the government's progress.

According to one Sir Keir ally: "The Treasury has had the pen and the meetings and the numbers, then No 10 gets involved for the political risk at the end."