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Despite the hype around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is maintaining a calm demeanor regarding his prospects of claiming his maiden drivers' championship.

Norris currently has a two-dozen point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with only up to 83 points up for grabs across the final three races. However, after pulling off a remarkable comeback from a significant deficit his teammate after the Zandvoort race in the summer, Norris is concentrating on executing with the methodical approach that lifted him to the lead of the standings.

"It can quickly turn in the other direction again as much as I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's racing, you know. Sometimes you also have luck. You can also be unlucky. No matter what happens. It's not worth getting excited or dwelling on it. I still do see it as a goal that remains distant."

The 26-year-old has discovered his peak performance at a crucial moment—after difficulties with the vehicle in the opening half of the season—while Piastri has shed the disciplined, nearly flawless composure that had for so long made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Importantly, Norris maintained a impressive level of composure throughout, asserting even in the face of challenges—like his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his gameplan and approach each session with the identical relentless focus on specifics. This approach has yielded results.

Meanwhile, McLaren have worked hard to try to preserve a fair competition for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been something of torturous experience, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad directed Piastri to cede second place to his teammate after he had lost the spot due to a delayed tire change. Certain spectators did not take well to what was considered the team unnecessarily manipulating their competitors.

Norris has claimed victory in the last two races, in Mexico and Brazil, and was booed on the podium at each, yet he remained unmoved. "Once you are leading, many individuals want to bring you down. They do not like seeing you succeeding. I consider it a positive sign," he said.

"It just makes me laugh. While standing on the winner's stage in Brazil, I really enjoyed it. The experience was quite satisfying. At last you feel like you're doing something right.

"I don't mind, as long as I come out on top. If I believe I am competing the correct manner, and I think that's the case, so long as I am confident I'm putting effort into being who I am and those kinds of things, then I am not concerned about external opinions."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be mastered, and it is not a track suited to the British team. It shares similarities with Montreal and Baku: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and low grip. They are the sole pair of circuits this season where McLaren have been unable to claim at least one top-three finish, and the leader was cautious once more about their prospects in Nevada. Still, his task in the short term is simple: finish in ahead of Piastri and the points he needs will follow.

Friday Running Shows Mixed Results for Title Contenders

The Ferrari driver led the times in first practice on what was remained a sandy and extremely slippery surface. Alex Albon was runner-up, with Verstappen in fourth, the McLaren ace in P6, and the Australian in eighth. During the more representative night running of FP2, Norris was quickest from the Silver Arrows of Kimi Antonelli, with his teammate down in fourteenth; though, the session lost almost all of the last third of track time to inspect a reported unsecured manhole 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 loose drain cover struck the Ferrari, heavily damaging it and leading to the practice to be aborted.

The German Team Confirm Stake Transaction

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their team principal the Austrian executive has sold a 15% stake in his holding company, representing a 5% share in the squad, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the digital protection firm CrowdStrike. Wolff will remain as team principal and may receive up to £230 million from the sale, with Mercedes having been valued at £4.57bn, a new high for an Formula 1 constructor.