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Amid all excitement around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is maintaining a calm demeanor about his chances of securing his first drivers' championship.

Norris currently has a 24-point lead over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by 49 points, with only up to 83 points up for grabs across the final three events. But, after pulling off a extraordinary comeback from a significant deficit his teammate following the Zandvoort race in the summer, Norris is concentrating on performing with the methodical approach that lifted him to the top 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 motorsport, as we all know. You can get lucky. You can end up unlucky. No matter what happens. It's no point getting excited or dwelling on it. I continue to view it as a goal that's quite distant."

The 26-year-old has found his peak performance at a critical moment—after difficulties with the car in the first part of the campaign—at the same time that his teammate has lost the controlled, almost flawless ease that had for so long made him appear to be a champion in waiting. Importantly, Norris kept a remarkable level of composure throughout, asserting despite challenges—such as his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would adhere to his gameplan and approach every outing with the identical unwavering attention to detail. This approach has paid off.

Meanwhile, the team have worked hard to attempt to preserve a level playing field for their pair of racers, and it has at times been something of difficult process, especially at the Italian Grand Prix when the team directed Piastri to cede the runner-up spot to Norris after he had fallen behind due to a delayed tire change. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was seen as McLaren unnecessarily manipulating their competitors.

Norris has won the last two races, in Mexico and São Paulo, and was jeered on the podium at each, yet he remained unmoved. "When you're leading, a lot of people want to undermine you. They do not like seeing you succeeding. I consider it a good thing," he remarked.

"It makes me laugh. While standing on the podium in Brazil, I truly loved it. It was quite enjoyable. You finally feel like you are achieving success.

"It doesn't bother me, as long as I win. As long as I believe I am competing the right way, and I think I am, as long as I feel like I'm putting hard work into being who I am and those kinds of things, then I am not concerned with the rest of it."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, must be mastered, and it is a circuit suited to the McLaren. The layout has similarities with Montreal and Baku: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and low grip. They are the sole pair of tracks this season where the papaya squad have failed to claim at least one podium place, and the leader was cautious again about their prospects this weekend. Still, his objective in the short term is simple: finish in ahead of Piastri and the championship tally he needs will come.

Friday Running Sees Mixed Outcomes for Championship Contenders

Charles Leclerc led the leaderboard in FP1 on what was still a sandy and extremely slippery surface. Alex Albon was runner-up, with Verstappen fourth, the McLaren ace sixth, and Piastri in eighth. During the more representative evening session of second practice, Norris was fastest ahead of the Silver Arrows of Kimi Antonelli, with his teammate 14th; though, the session was interrupted for nearly the last third of running to inspect a suspected loose drain cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP held in 2023, a dislodged drain cover smashed into the Ferrari, severely damaging it and leading to the session to be ended.

Mercedes Announce Stake Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have revealed that their team principal the Austrian executive has sold a 15% stake in his investment firm, equating to a five percent ownership in the squad, to American billionaire George Kurtz. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. The team principal will stay on as boss and may receive up to £230 million from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57bn, a new high for an Formula 1 constructor.