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Lando Norris has declared he is immensely proud of the manner in which he clinched his inaugural Formula One drivers' title, emphasizing after a heartfelt victory lap with his McLaren squad and family that he was happy to have succeeded "his way".

The champion highlighted that he feels he raced fairly and without excessive aggression, a philosophy for which he has been scrutinized for not displaying the much-discussed "ruthless edge". He maintains that winning the championship demonstrates such an approach is not essential.

Norris secured the championship with a P3 finish at the season finale, edging out his rival from Red Bull by a narrow margin. Verstappen took the checkered flag but could not overcome the 12-point advantage the McLaren driver held going into the last race.

"That's one of the things that I am most proud of," Norris said. "I believe I have just managed to win it the way I aimed to, which was not by being someone I’m not."

He elaborated, "Not trying to be as aggressive as Max or as assertive as other title-winners might have been in the past, I’m happy. I just won it my way – by being a sportsmanlike driver, by trying to be an honest driver."

Nerve-Wracking Finale

Norris also conceded that, although he seemed calm, the closing moments were incredibly tense.

"I felt calm until the very end, then I started to shake a little bit," he said. "Seeing the team after taking the flag is a memory that I’ll always remember."

An Incredible Turnaround

The driver's journey to the championship involved a remarkable recovery from being 34 points behind of then-leader Oscar Piastri in the summer. A mechanical failure in Zandvoort served as a key turning point.

"I thought: ‘Oh, shoot. I’m quite a long way behind against a pretty freaking fast driver, and I’ve got to step it up,’" Norris explained. "I had to become more myself due to external factors, bringing in more professionals in different areas to unlock more of my ability."

Competitors' Responses

The Red Bull Driver's View

The reigning champion took only positives from his and Red Bull’s performances, having fought back from a massive points gap. Verstappen felt they had done everything possible against a McLaren that was often the faster package.

"Yeah, I think so, I have zero regrets about my season," he said. "The performance has been strong. I’ve hated this car at times, but I’ve also excelled in it at times."

However, the driver responded tersely when asked about a controversial incident at the Spanish GP where a time punishment cost him valuable points.

"People overlook all the other events that happened," Verstappen snapped. "A championship is won over 24 rounds... I have also had a lot of early Christmas presents given to me."

Oscar Piastri: Lessons Learned

The visibly dejected McLaren teammate, who was in front for much of the season, admitted he would emerge stronger the defeat.

"Naturally I would have wished for a slightly different ending," Piastri said. "But I think this year I’ve learned an enormous amount about myself as a driver and as a person... In the end there’s a touch of disappointment but I think I can be very proud."