While many had doubted him, McLaren's Lando Norris proved all his detractors wrong by winning his first Formula 1 Drivers' Championship last year.
Defeating Max Verstappen by 2 points, the 26-year-old British driver earned the title and has now reflected on a decider that could have just as easily seen Verstappen or Norris' teammate, Oscar Piastri, win the Championship.
The odds were in Norris' favour, as he simply had to finish third or higher to be guaranteed the win. Ultimately, Verstappen won the race, and Piastri finished second, but the McLaren driver secured third place and added his name to the history books in the process.
"The week leading up to the biggest race of my life. I didn't know how to feel, I didn't know how to act, I didn't know how I was meant to be," Norris admits in the video below. "I didn't know if I was meant to be really excited or not or scared."
"I thought I'd be pretty damn nervous, because I do get nervous every race, every qualifying, always," he continued. "That's a known thing. I thought it would be a bit too chaotic."
Despite any nerves, Norris did everything he had to in Abu Dhabi to be crowned Champion, and now heads into the 2026 season with the #1 on his car (the Championship-winning number that's adorned the front of Max Verstappen's Red Bull since the 2022 season).
He added, "Getting in the car, I actually felt pretty ready. I felt very calm. Just another day in the office. I felt ready. I still knew in my head, this is it, and the time had come."
Norris is often his toughest critic, and in a season that presented him with just as many ups as downs, he showed everyone that he has what it takes to race for championship glory. It's too soon to say where the land will lie when the 2026 season begins, but pre-season testing should offer a clearer idea.
Last month, Norris opened up on a hard-fought, year-long battle with both Verstappen and Piastri:
"Max and Oscar, I don't want you to forget about Oscar; they both made my life hell this season. So much of what I've done is because they give me an ass-whooping every now and then. I've got to go and question myself after. How did they beat me by so much here? How did they do this corner so much better than me? All these things."
"Everyone understands that from Max because he's achieved so much already. He's a four-time World Champion. I honestly believe Max is one of the best you'll ever see in Formula 1. He works hard. He's an incredible driver. He's got everything you need in so many ways. And Oscar is still, let's say, the new kid on the block. He drives like he's been in it for 20 years already. He's also made my life very difficult."
"I think as teammates, we've made our lives difficult. That's allowed Max to catch up in the championship and then make both of our lives difficult. But I don't know how I'm going to say thanks to them or credit them or congratulate them. I don't know what really is the correct thing to do or say things."
"I've got to give respect and credit to both Oscar and Max. Max doesn't need it because he already has it, but Oscar I do because I think a lot of people already give him the respect he deserves and the credit he deserves, but obviously I can't do an intervie,w or I can't do anything without saying a congrats and a thanks and giving credit to them too."
You can hear more from Norris on his maiden Championship win in the video below.