Lando really stepped up in the second half, and Piastri lost had a few uncharacteristic, costly errors or off days. I did think Lando would make a big error under pressure in the final few races, but it just never happened, which is a sign he's really stepping up. The final race was a bit of a wet blanket. As soon as it was clear there was no pressure on 3rd place from Ferrari or Merc, then it was just a procession.
Verstappen did an unreal job getting it so close, given the state of the RB car at the start of the year. Had they upgraded their car a week earlier then Max would have another Championship. The margins were crazy tight.