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Amid the excitement surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is maintaining a calm demeanor about his prospects of securing his maiden drivers' championship.

Norris presently has a two-dozen point advantage over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with just a maximum of eighty-three points up for grabs across the final three races. But, after staging a extraordinary recovery from a significant deficit Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in the summer, Norris is concentrating on performing with the methodical approach that lifted him to the lead of the standings.

"It can easily go the opposite way once more even though I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's motorsport, you know. Sometimes you also have luck. Other times you end up unlucky. Whatever it may be. It's not worth getting excited or thinking about it. I still do see it as something that remains distant."

The 26-year-old has found his best form at a crucial moment—having struggled with the vehicle in the first part of the season—while Piastri has lost the controlled, nearly flawless ease that had for so long made him seem to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris kept a impressive level of equanimity all along, asserting even in the face of challenges—such as his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his gameplan and approach every outing with the same unwavering attention to detail. It has paid off.

Meanwhile, the team have worked hard to try to maintain a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been something of difficult experience, especially at Monza when the team instructed the Australian to cede second place to Norris after he had lost the spot due to a delayed tire change. Some fans did not take well to what was seen as McLaren unnecessarily interfering with their competitors.

Norris has won the last two grands prix, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was jeered on the winner's rostrum at both, leaving him unmoved. "When you're leading, a lot of people try to undermine you. They don't like seeing you winning. I see it as a good thing," he remarked.

"It just makes me laugh. When I was on the winner's stage in Interlagos, I truly loved it. The experience was very satisfying. At last you feel like you are achieving something right.

"It doesn't bother me, provided that I come out on top. As long as I feel like I'm doing it the correct way, which I feel like I am, so long as I am confident I'm putting effort into being who I am and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed with the rest of it."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, must be conquered, and it is a circuit ideal for the McLaren. The layout has characteristics with Montreal and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. They are the only two circuits in the current championship where McLaren have failed to claim a single top-three finish, and the leader was circumspect once more about their prospects this weekend. Yet, his objective in the short term is simple: end the race in ahead of Piastri and the championship tally he needs will follow.

Friday Running Sees Mixed Outcomes for Title Contenders

The Ferrari driver topped the times in FP1 on what was still a sandy and extremely low-grip surface. Alex Albon was runner-up, with the Red Bull star fourth, Norris in P6, and Piastri eighth. During the more indicative evening session of second practice, the Briton was fastest ahead of the Silver Arrows of the Italian rookie, with his teammate down in fourteenth; though, the session was interrupted for nearly the last third of track time to check a reported loose drain cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is taken seriously on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP held in 2023, a loose drain cover struck the Ferrari, severely damaging it and leading to the practice to be ended.

The German Team Announce Ownership Transaction

Mercedes have confirmed that their boss Toto Wolff has sold a 15% stake in his holding company, equating to a 5% share in the team, to American billionaire the cybersecurity magnate. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Wolff will stay on as boss and could earn up to £230m from the sale, with Mercedes having been appraised at £4.57 billion, a new high for an F1 team.