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

The British driver currently holds a 24-point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by 49 points, with only up to eighty-three points available across the remaining trio of races. However, after staging a extraordinary recovery from 34 points behind Piastri following the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is focused on executing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the top of the championship.

"Things can quickly go in the other direction once more even though I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's motorsport, you know. You can also have luck. Other times you also be unfortunate. Whatever it may be. It's not worth getting excited or thinking about it. I continue to view it as a goal that's quite distant."

The 26-year-old has discovered his best form at a crucial juncture—having struggled with the car in the opening half of the season—while Piastri has lost the disciplined, almost flawless ease that previously made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Importantly, Norris kept a impressive level of composure throughout, asserting despite setbacks—like his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his strategy and work every outing with the identical relentless focus on specifics. It has yielded results.

All the while, the team have worked hard to attempt to preserve a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has at times been a rather torturous experience, especially at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad instructed the Australian to surrender second place to Norris after he had fallen behind because of a slow pit stop. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was considered the team needlessly interfering with their competitors.

Norris has claimed victory in the previous pair of grands prix, in Mexico City and Brazil, and was jeered on the podium at both, leaving him unfazed. "When you're on top, a lot of people try to bring you down. They don't like seeing you winning. I see it as a good thing," he remarked.

"It just amuses me. While standing on the podium in Interlagos, I really enjoyed it. The experience was quite satisfying. At last you feel like you are achieving success.

"I don't mind, provided that I win. If I believe I am competing the right way, and I think that's the case, as long as I feel like I'm putting effort into being who I am and similar principles, then I am not concerned with external opinions."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, needs to be conquered, and it is not a track suited to the British team. It shares similarities with Canada and Baku: low downforce, cool temperatures, and low grip. These are the only two circuits this season where the papaya squad have been unable to claim at least one top-three finish, and the leader was cautious once more about their chances this weekend. Yet, his objective in the immediate future is simple: end the race in front of Piastri and the points he needs will come.

Practice Shows Mixed Results for Championship Rivals

Charles Leclerc led the leaderboard in FP1 on what was remained a sandy and very low-grip surface. The Williams racer was second, with the Red Bull star fourth, Norris in P6, and the Australian in eighth. In the more indicative evening session of second practice, the Briton was quickest from the Silver Arrows of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri 14th; however, the practice was interrupted for almost all of the final 20 minutes of track time to check a suspected unsecured drain cover at the penultimate corner.

The issue is taken seriously on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a dislodged manhole struck the Ferrari, severely damaging it and causing the practice to be aborted.

Mercedes Announce Stake Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their boss Toto Wolff has divested a 15% stake in his investment firm, equating to a 5% share in the squad, to American billionaire the cybersecurity magnate. Kurtz is the CEO and founder of the cybersecurity company the tech giant. Wolff will stay on as team principal and could earn up to £230 million from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57 billion, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.