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Amid all excitement around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is keeping a calm demeanor about his chances of securing his first drivers' championship.

Norris currently has a two-dozen point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with just a maximum of 83 points available across the remaining trio of races. However, after pulling off a extraordinary recovery from 34 points behind Piastri after the Zandvoort race in the summer, Norris is focused on performing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the top of the standings.

"Things can easily go in the other direction again as much as I hope it doesn't," he stated. "That's motorsport, as we all know. Sometimes you also have luck. You can also be unlucky. Whatever it may be. There's really not worth becoming overjoyed or dwelling on it. I still do see it as a goal that's quite far away."

Norris has found his best form at a crucial moment—after difficulties with the car in the first part of the season—at the same time that Piastri has lost the controlled, almost perfect ease that previously made him seem to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris maintained a impressive level of composure all along, asserting even in the face of setbacks—like his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his gameplan and approach every outing with the same unwavering attention to detail. It has paid off.

All the while, McLaren have gone to no little effort to attempt to preserve a fair competition for their pair of racers, and it has at times been something of torturous process, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad directed the Australian to surrender second place to Norris after he had lost the spot due to a delayed tire change. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was considered the team unnecessarily interfering with their competitors.

Norris has claimed victory in the previous pair of races, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was jeered on the winner's rostrum at both, leaving him unfazed. "Once you are on top, a lot of individuals want to bring you down. They don't like seeing you succeeding. I see it as a positive sign," he remarked.

"It just amuses me. When I was on the podium in Interlagos, I really enjoyed it. The experience was quite enjoyable. You finally feel like you are achieving success.

"It doesn't bother me, as long as I win. If I believe I'm doing it the correct way, and I think that's the case, so long as I am confident I am dedicating hard work into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, then I am not concerned with the rest of it."

Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be mastered, and it is a circuit ideal for the British team. The layout has characteristics with Montreal and Baku: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. These are the sole pair of circuits this season where the papaya squad have been unable to secure a single podium place, and the leader was cautious once more about their chances this weekend. Still, his task in the short term is simple: finish in front of Piastri and the points he requires will come.

Friday Running Shows Mixed Outcomes for Title Rivals

The Ferrari driver led the leaderboard in FP1 on what was remained a dusty and very slippery surface. The Williams racer was runner-up, with Verstappen in fourth, the McLaren ace in P6, and the Australian in eighth. During the more representative evening session of second practice, Norris was quickest ahead of the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with his teammate 14th; however, the practice lost nearly the last third of running to check a reported loose manhole cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the first Nevada GP staged in 2023, a loose drain cover smashed into Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, heavily harming it and leading to the practice to be aborted.

Mercedes Confirm Ownership Sale

Mercedes have confirmed that their team principal the Austrian executive has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, representing a 5% share in the team, to American billionaire George Kurtz. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the digital protection firm CrowdStrike. The team principal will stay on as boss and could earn up to £230 million from the deal, with Mercedes having been valued at £4.57bn, a record for an F1 team.