Lando Norris became Formula 1 World Champion last weekend, when he finished third at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix... behind Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen. He won the championship by only two points from the Red Bull driver, and 13 points from his McLaren teammate, who led the championshiop for several months with a 34-point lead at one point in the thrilling season.
A lot was said about the teammate rivalry in McLaren, and how did the team manage having two drivers with title aspirations while also looking at Verstappen in the rear window. Now the season is over, it's time for mutual praise, with Norris saying that Piastri will be a champion some day, and saying that he knew from round one that he was going to be "the toughest guy to beat".
"For me to have those fights against him and enjoy those moments, maybe not always enjoy them but some of them, but just to share the track and fight against another world champion like him and certainly Oscar as well, who will be a world champion", Norris told (via F1.com). "I really enjoyed this season because of that. As much as they made my life hell a lot of the time, those moments I almost enjoyed the most."