The four-time world champion’s comeback ultimately fell just two points short in Abu Dhabi, after he had clawed back a deficit of more than 100 points following his home race at Zandvoort — even though Oscar Piastri was still leading the championship at that stage.

Lando Norris, by contrast, came on strong in the closing phase of the season, delivering an impressive late surge and sealing the world title with a third-place finish at Yas Marina Circuit, the final position required to get the job done.

Speaking on the Red Flags podcast, Guenther Steiner said: “As a champion, you’re always in the books as the second one...people will remember it, but in five years, a lot of people will have forgotten about the season.

According to Riccardo Patrese, there is only one driver capable of taking on Max Verstappen in equal machinery — and it is not the reigning world champion.

The former F1 driver instead singled out Charles Leclerc, pointing to how the Monegasque once again caught his eye with his qualifying performances and the points gap he managed to open up to Lewis Hamilton in the standings.

Leclerc was also Ferrari’s sole podium finisher this season, racking up seven top-three results despite driving a car that was clearly less competitive than those of Red Bull and McLaren — and at times even Mercedes — while also adding a pole position to his tally.