Lando Norris won his maiden Formula 1 Title in 2025 with McLaren after beating Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen by two points only.
To win the Title, Norris just needed to finish on the podium in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which Verstappen won from pole.
There was nothing more Verstappen could've done, as his only hope was for something to go wrong with Norris or for George Russell or Charles Leclerc—who started fourth and fifth, respectively—to attack the Briton, denying him a podium, which did not transpire.
1997 F1 Champion Jacques Villeneuve reflected on the season finale; he said: "Max needed Leclerc [Russell dropped back] to get ahead of Norris. That's the only thing. So, he needed a little bit of outside help.
"And Lando was driving more on the defensive the whole race, just doing what he needed to do to go on and win the Championship. He had a good second half of the season, a very good recovery.
"Max was exemplary all season. He lost a few points in Barcelona, and that's it. Just the fact that he was in the fight in that last race and finished second in the Championship is an incredible achievement," he added.
With Norris prevailing at the end of the 2025 F1 season, it is clear that the best driver did not win the Championship, and while the McLaren driver made the best of his dominant MCL39, beating his teammate, Oscar Piastri, as well, it remains to be seen how he develops after making his breakthrough.
While someone like Nico Rosberg retired mere days after bagging his first F1 Title, Verstappen showed more hunger and went on to win three more, not to mention fighting till the last lap for a fifth.
So which type is Norris? Villeneuve said: "Everyone is different. You just have to look at Nico Rosberg. He became Champion. He hated driving. And he quit.
"So, it just depends. Some drivers, like Max, it just launches them into the stratosphere. It makes them better and hungrier. Because they are actually true racers and passionate.
"Who knows how it will affect Lando. You could tell from his reaction that it was an incredible goal for Lando," the Canadian concluded.
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