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Amid all excitement around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a calm demeanor about his prospects of claiming his maiden world title.

Norris presently has a two-dozen point advantage over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with just a maximum of eighty-three points available across the final three events. However, after pulling off a remarkable comeback from 34 points behind his teammate following the Zandvoort race in August, Norris is concentrating on executing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the lead of the championship.

"It can easily go the opposite way once more even though I don't want it to," he commented. "That's motorsport, as we all know. You can get lucky. Other times you also be unfortunate. Whatever it may be. It's no point becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I continue to do see it as a goal that remains far away."

The 26-year-old has found his peak performance at a critical moment—having struggled with the vehicle in the opening half of the campaign—at the same time that his teammate has shed the controlled, almost perfect ease that had for so long made him seem to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris kept a impressive level of equanimity all along, asserting despite challenges—like his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his gameplan and work each session with the same relentless focus on specifics. It has paid off.

All the while, McLaren have worked hard to try to preserve a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has at times been a rather difficult experience, especially at the Italian Grand Prix when the team instructed Piastri to surrender the runner-up spot to his teammate following he had lost the spot due to a slow pit stop. Certain spectators did not take well to what was considered McLaren needlessly interfering with their competitors.

The championship leader has claimed victory in the last two grands prix, in Mexico and Brazil, and was jeered on the podium at each, yet he remained unmoved. "When you're leading, a lot of people try to bring you down. They do not like seeing you winning. I consider it a positive sign," he remarked.

"It just amuses me. While standing on the winner's stage in Brazil, I really enjoyed it. The experience was very enjoyable. At last you feel like you are achieving success.

"I don't mind, as long as I win. As long as I feel like I'm doing it the right manner, and I think I am, so 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 about the rest of it."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, needs to be conquered, and it is not a track ideal for the McLaren. It shares similarities with Montreal and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. These are the only two circuits this season where McLaren have been unable to claim a single podium place, and Norris was cautious again about their chances this weekend. Yet, his objective in the immediate future is straightforward: finish in ahead of his teammate and the points he needs will come.

Friday Running Shows Varied Outcomes for Title Rivals

The Ferrari driver led the leaderboard in first practice on what was remained a dusty and very low-grip surface. The Williams racer was runner-up, with Verstappen fourth, the McLaren ace in P6, and Piastri in eighth. During the more indicative evening session of second practice, Norris was quickest ahead of the Silver Arrows of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri 14th; however, the practice was interrupted for nearly the final 20 minutes of running to check a suspected unsecured manhole cover at the penultimate corner.

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

The German Team Announce Stake Sale

Mercedes have revealed that their boss the Austrian executive has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, equating to a five percent ownership in the team, to American billionaire George Kurtz. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the digital protection firm the tech giant. The team principal will remain as boss and may receive up to £230 million from the deal, with Mercedes having been valued at £4.57bn, a new high for an F1 team.