The newly crowned world champion managed to withstand the pressure even as the race briefly slipped away from him — first when he was passed by his teammate off the line, and later when he got stuck in traffic after his first pit stop.

Even so, the Brit fully earned the title, fighting his way back into the third place he needed to snatch the championship from Max Verstappen by just two points, securing his place among Formula 1’s greats.

By winning the title in Abu Dhabi, Norris has become McLaren’s first world champion since 2008 and the first driver outside Red Bull or Mercedes to take the crown since 2009.

He’s also only the fourth driver to clinch a championship after more than 150 race starts, the seventh-youngest champion in history, the eighth world champion to emerge from McLaren, and the 35th Formula 1 world champion overall.

Impressive numbers that only add weight to his achievement — even if he was able to rely on the strongest car on the grid for much of the season.

The Brit said he’s happy to have won the drivers’ title on his own terms without ever compromising who he is — proving that a driver can become world champion without over-the-top aggression or playing dirty on track.

Norris also admitted he regrets some of the “stupid” things he’s said in the past about Verstappen and Hamilton, acknowledging they were comments made in the heat of the moment.