Red Bull's Max Verstappen collected his Formula One world champion's trophy at a gala awards ceremony on Thursday and looked forward to fighting seven times title-holder Lewis Hamilton again next season.
His Mercedes rival, beaten this year on the last lap of the last race, did not attend the event at the Louvre museum in Paris.
"It's my life goal achieved, so it sounds pretty decent," said Verstappen after being welcomed on stage as champion.
"Everything that comes next is just a bonus. I'm of course going to keep pushing, I'm going to be in F1 for a few more years but this has been an incredibly tough season," added the 24-year-old.