After leading the championship in imperious fashion for two-thirds of the season, the Australian suffered a bitter blow by finishing the year only third overall — even behind Max Verstappen — as his team-mate went on to claim the title.

Even so, the former Haas boss has no doubts about the Australian’s qualities, making his stance clear while speaking on the Red Flags podcast: “He needs to be in the right car at the right time, but from a talent point of view, he can do it. I don’t doubt it.

The past season offered the Aussie a brutal but valuable lesson in what it really takes to contend for a Formula 1 world title, exposing him to a level of pressure far removed from anything experienced in the junior ranks — and one that ultimately proved difficult to sustain until the very end.

Even so, his place in the championship fight was no accident. It was the product of a remarkable leap forward compared to the previous year, when he had been soundly outmatched by Norris over the course of the season.