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Despite all hype surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is keeping a calm demeanor regarding his chances of claiming his maiden world title.

Norris presently has a two-dozen point advantage over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only up to eighty-three points up for grabs across the remaining trio of races. However, after staging a extraordinary recovery from 34 points behind his teammate after the Zandvoort race in the summer, Norris is focused on executing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the top of the standings.

"It can quickly turn in the other direction again as much as I don't want it to," he commented. "That's racing, as we all know. You can get lucky. Other times you also be unfortunate. Whatever it may be. It's no point becoming overjoyed or dwelling on it. I still view it as a goal that's quite far away."

Norris has discovered his best form at a critical juncture—after difficulties with the car in the first part of the campaign—while his teammate has shed the controlled, nearly perfect composure that had for so long made him appear to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris maintained a impressive level of equanimity all along, insisting 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 identical unwavering focus on specifics. It has paid off.

Meanwhile, the team have worked hard to attempt to preserve a level playing field for their pair of racers, and it has on occasion been something of torturous process, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the team instructed Piastri to cede second place to Norris after he had fallen behind because of a delayed tire change. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was considered McLaren needlessly manipulating their drivers.

The championship leader has won the last two races, in Mexico and Brazil, and was booed on the podium at both, yet he remained unmoved. "When you're on top, many people try to bring you down. They don't like seeing you winning. I see it as a good thing," he remarked.

"It makes me laugh. When I was on the podium in Brazil, I really loved it. It was quite enjoyable. At last you feel like you're doing something right.

"It doesn't bother me, as long as I come out on top. As long as I believe I'm doing it the correct manner, and I think that's the case, as long as I feel like I am dedicating hard work into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, then I am not concerned with external opinions."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, must be mastered, and it is a circuit ideal for the British team. The layout has characteristics with Canada and Baku: low downforce, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. They are the only two tracks in the current championship where McLaren have failed to secure a single top-three finish, and Norris was cautious again about their chances this weekend. Still, his task in the immediate future is straightforward: finish in ahead of Piastri and the points he requires will follow.

Practice Shows Mixed Results for Championship Rivals

The Ferrari driver led the times in first practice on what was still a dusty and extremely slippery surface. The Williams racer was second, with Verstappen fourth, Norris in P6, and Piastri in eighth. In the more representative evening session of second practice, the Briton was fastest ahead of the Silver Arrows of the Italian rookie, with Piastri down in fourteenth; however, the practice was interrupted for almost all of the final 20 minutes of running to check a reported unsecured manhole cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Nevada GP staged in 2023, a dislodged manhole struck the Ferrari, severely harming it and leading to the session to be aborted.

The German Team Confirm Ownership Sale

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