The former French driver, who matches Verstappen with four World Championships, congratulated Norris on his title win, while clearly struggling to hide his immense admiration for what the Dutchman accomplished.

"Congratulations to Lando, it is deserved, but Max, Max is clearly above the rest," he told Canal + after the race in Abu Dhabi.

The four-time world champion came close to clinching a fifth consecutive title, mounting an extraordinary comeback from the 104-point gap after Zandvoort and nearly pulling off a miracle.

That miracle, however, never materialized, as Norris kept his composure and secured the championship by just two points in the final standings.

For a moment, it seemed things were turning in the Dutchman’s favor when his rival rejoined in heavy traffic after the first pit stop, but the latter skillfully climbed back up the order, making no mistakes and taking calculated risks on overtakes.

The four-time world champion fell short in his bid to reclaim the title, despite a blistering second half of the season from Zandvoort onwards, ultimately handing the crown to new World Champion Lando Norris.

During the usual post-race press conference, he was asked about the infamous clash with George Russell in Spain, where a penalty dropped him from fourth to tenth.