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Despite all excitement around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is maintaining a level head about his prospects of securing his first world title.

Norris currently has a two-dozen point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only a maximum of 83 points up for grabs across the remaining trio of races. However, after pulling off a extraordinary recovery from 34 points behind his teammate after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is focused on performing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the lead of the championship.

"Things can easily turn in the other direction again as much as I don't want it to," he stated. "That's racing, as we all know. You can get lucky. Other times you also be unlucky. Whatever it may be. It's not worth becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I continue to view it as something that remains far away."

The 26-year-old has discovered his best form at a critical moment—after difficulties with the vehicle in the opening half of the season—while Piastri has lost the disciplined, nearly perfect ease that previously made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Importantly, Norris maintained a impressive level of equanimity all along, insisting despite challenges—such as his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his gameplan and work every outing with the same unwavering attention to detail. It has paid off.

All the while, the team have worked hard to try to maintain a fair competition for their pair of racers, and it has at times been something of difficult experience, especially at Monza when the team directed Piastri to cede the runner-up spot to Norris following he had lost the spot because of a slow pit stop. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was seen as the team unnecessarily interfering with their drivers.

Norris has won the last two races, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was jeered on the winner's rostrum at both, yet he remained unmoved. "When you're on top, many individuals try to bring you down. They do not like seeing you succeeding. I consider it a good thing," he remarked.

"It amuses me. When I was on the winner's stage in Interlagos, I really enjoyed it. It was quite enjoyable. At last you sense that you are achieving success.

"It doesn't bother me, provided that I win. As long as I believe I'm doing it the correct manner, and I think that's the case, as long as I am confident I am dedicating hard work into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed with external opinions."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, must be mastered, and it is not a track ideal for the McLaren. The layout has similarities with Montreal and Baku: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and low grip. They are the only two circuits in the current championship where McLaren have been unable to secure at least one top-three finish, and the leader was circumspect again about their chances this weekend. Yet, his objective in the immediate future is simple: finish in front of Piastri and the championship tally he requires will come.

Friday Running Sees Varied Results for Title Contenders

The Ferrari driver led the times in FP1 on what was remained a sandy and very low-grip track. The Williams racer was runner-up, with the Red Bull star in fourth, Norris sixth, and Piastri in eighth. During the more representative night running of second practice, Norris was fastest ahead of the Silver Arrows of the Italian rookie, with his teammate down in fourteenth; however, the session was interrupted for almost all of the last third of running to check a suspected unsecured drain cover at the penultimate corner.

The issue is taken seriously on a temporary track where, at the first Nevada GP staged in 2023, a dislodged drain cover smashed into Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, severely damaging it and causing the session to be aborted.

Mercedes Announce Stake Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their boss the Austrian executive has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, representing a 5% share in the squad, to US tycoon George Kurtz. Kurtz is the CEO and founder of the digital protection firm the tech giant. The team principal will remain as boss and may receive as much as £230 million from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been appraised at £4.57bn, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.