F1 decided to bypass the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya tight chicane and instead restore its original final sector, with two fast right-handers leading onto the main straight, in a bid to improve the show.
It was a popular decision among the drivers, with Mercedes' George Russell saying it "turned one of the worst corners in F1 into one of the best", but the jury was still out on whether or not it would spice up the race.
As it happened, the race was far from a thriller, with Max Verstappen cruising to a leisurely 24-second victory over Lewis Hamilton. But the event still saw plenty of action that kept famished F1 fans moderately entertained, resigned to finding their joy elsewhere in a season crushed by Red Bull.
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Last Sunday's race featured a reported 107 overtakes for position, up from 75 last year and 51 in 2021, the last edition before the ground-effect machinery.
So, on the surface returning to the original lay-out paid off, but opinions are still divided on whether or not following through Turn 14 was actually that much easier.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella, whose driver Oscar Piastri was involved in a tight midfield battle, thought it was still difficult for drivers to follow others.
"As soon as [Alpine's Pierre] Gasly was able to pass Oscar he just flies away, meaning that actually [he] couldn't pass him before because it was also very difficult to follow," said Stella.
When asked if that was down to aerodynamics or tyre wear, he said: "I think it's a combination of both, your tyres more easily get hotter in these conditions, on a track that generates so much energy on the tyres.
"And also, it's the pure aerodynamic disturbance. Even if this generation of cars is better than it was in the past, still this year in particular it looks like you have a significant loss while following."
Source: Autosport