Having missed the penultimate 'flyaway' races, it was interesting to catch-up in Abu Dhabi and see F1 in the flesh, so to speak.
The most striking observation was the weariness engulfing the paddock since last I saw it. People had lost their usual sparkle; they were plain tired; worn out. Oh sure, the warmth of both the climate and the now customary welcome at Yas Marina acted as a soothing balm after miserable weather had made the going tough at many of the previous races. But it did not provide an immediate cure for the coughs and ailments that strike when physical defences have been assaulted by hours in aircraft and frequently suspect air-conditioning.
It was difficult not to wonder how F1 folk will be in 12 months' time after a ball-breaking 21 races. Of course, that thought will rarely cross the minds of those who decide the calendar after either flying into European races by private jet or stretching out in First Class when travelling further afield to five-star luxury and regular meals. Not for them the knee-cap crushing cattle class at the back of the plane or in the minibus shuttling back and forth to cheap hotels. Heaven forbid that tiredness should lead to finger trouble and a mechanical failure that could have been avoided with a decent night's sleep not disrupted by jet lag.
The scenario in Abu Dhabi was not helped by the championship having been settled. The frisson of the final race deciding the title one way or another provides a massive charge that blasts fatigue into next week. There's loads to observe, speculate upon and, ultimately, celebrate. But make this 'just another race' and the media's struggle to find a story tends to make fact from rumour.
I found Niki Lauda on the point of cheerful exasperation on race morning. (You may have read that he is apparently on the point of quitting Mercedes AMG F1 after an alleged bust-up with Toto Wolff over the supply of engines, specifically to Red Bull).
"What going on?" he barked. "I've never known a weekend like this one. Never. People are saying and writing crazy things. Where is all this coming from? I give you an example. We had a dinner for the mechanics. I got up and made a small speech and said: 'Thank you'. And someone said: 'Huh! So, you are leaving?' I said: 'No! I'm just saying thank you for all the incredible work you have done this season.' Completely crazy."
One of the positives -- and there are quite a few -- associated with a final round free from championship stress is that the race tends to become a free-for-all as drivers expend their last ounce of energy knowing there'll be no more fun for a couple of months.
School was out on that first lap with the run-offs receiving almost as much patronage as the track thanks to cars being three and four abreast. Fernando Alonso got a bit carried away, however, when the extremely rare opportunity to overtake one of those damn Ferraris at the first corner led to him tanking into the hapless Pastor Maldonado. (To be fair, Fernando had been helped on his way by a touch from Felipe Nasr - but let's not spoil a good story with facts!)
To be honest, I wasn't unduly surprised. I had been chatting with Mark Webber on race day when Alonso came by and made a bee-line for his old mate, congratulating Mark on his recently acquired WEC title and generally catching up on gossip. The two talked animatedly for quite some time. Fernando was in his McLaren tee-shirt and shorts. You had to remind yourself that this was ten minutes before he was due to be some distance away in the McLaren garage, ready to climb into his car and go racing - racing being a relative term in this case, I agree.
This was the second year Webber had turned up at Yas Marina when he had no real need to be there and every reason to dislike the place following the painful memory of a championship lost five years ago. But the Aussie is not alone in enjoying a cracking atmosphere that does not necessarily come across on television.
That processional race in 2010 led to Abu Dhabi getting a bad rep that has been perpetuated by observers and experts, some of whom have never set foot in the place. The subsequent effect of DRS has made a difference (which is a debate for another time) and it was interesting to hear drivers ranging from Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Rosberg to relative newcomers Jolyon Palmer and Roberto Merhi relishing the technical challenge of trying to find a perfect lap.
If nothing else, Yas Marina is maturing nicely and, according to the mechanics, continues to offer the best garage facilities on the calendar. Which was just as well. Had the roof leaked or the pit lane flooded (as has happened in places we won't mention), it would have been the final straw at the end of a long and extremely eventful season for these world-weary travellers.
Given the choice, of course, they would do nothing else. At the end of the day, and of the season, that's the lure of such an intoxicating sport.