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

Norris currently holds a 24-point lead over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with just up to 83 points available across the remaining trio of events. However, after pulling off a remarkable comeback from 34 points behind Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in the summer, Norris is focused on performing with the clinical precision that propelled him to the top of the standings.

"It can quickly go the opposite way once more even though I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's racing, as we all know. You can get lucky. You can also be unfortunate. Whatever it may be. There's really not worth becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I continue to do see it as a goal that's quite far away."

Norris has discovered his best form at a critical moment—having struggled with the car in the first part of the season—while his teammate has shed the controlled, almost flawless ease that had for so long made him appear to be a future title winner. Importantly, Norris maintained a remarkable level of equanimity all along, asserting despite challenges—like his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his gameplan and work every outing with the identical relentless focus on specifics. This approach has yielded results.

Meanwhile, the team have worked hard to try to maintain a fair competition for their pair of racers, and it has on occasion been a rather torturous process, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the team directed the Australian to cede second place to his teammate following he had fallen behind because of a slow pit stop. Some fans were unhappy with what was seen as the team unnecessarily manipulating their drivers.

Norris has won the last two grands prix, in Mexico and Brazil, and was booed on the winner's rostrum at both, yet he remained unfazed. "When you're on top, a lot of individuals try to bring you down. They don't want to see you winning. I consider it a good thing," he said.

"It amuses me. When I was on the winner's stage in Brazil, I truly enjoyed it. The experience was quite satisfying. At last you sense that you're doing success.

"I don't mind, provided that I come out on top. As long as I believe I'm doing it the right way, which I feel like 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 the rest of it."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, must be mastered, and it is a circuit ideal for the British team. It shares characteristics with Montreal and Baku: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. They are the sole pair of tracks in the current championship where McLaren have failed to secure at least one podium place, and the leader was cautious once more about their prospects in Nevada. Yet, his task in the immediate future is simple: finish in front of Piastri and the points he requires will follow.

Practice Sees Mixed Outcomes for Championship Rivals

Charles Leclerc topped the leaderboard in first practice on what was remained a dusty and very slippery surface. Alex Albon was second, with the Red Bull star fourth, the McLaren ace sixth, and Piastri in eighth. In the more indicative night running of second practice, the Briton was quickest ahead of the Mercedes of the Italian rookie, with his teammate down in fourteenth; though, the session lost almost all of the final 20 minutes of running to inspect a reported unsecured drain cover at turn 17.

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

The German Team Announce Stake Sale

Mercedes have confirmed that their team principal Toto Wolff has sold a 15% stake in his holding company, equating to a five percent ownership in the team, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. The investor is the CEO and founder of the digital protection firm the tech giant. Wolff will remain as boss and may receive up to £230m from the deal, with Mercedes having been appraised at £4.57 billion, a new high for an Formula 1 constructor.