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

Norris currently holds a two-dozen point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with just a maximum of 83 points up for grabs across the remaining trio of races. However, after staging a remarkable comeback from a significant deficit his teammate after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is concentrating on executing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the lead of the standings.

"Things can quickly turn in the other direction again even though I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's racing, you know. You can also have luck. You can also be unfortunate. Whatever it may be. It's no point becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I continue to view it as something that remains far away."

The 26-year-old has discovered his best form at a crucial moment—having struggled with the car in the first part of the campaign—at the same time that his teammate has shed the disciplined, almost flawless ease that had for so long made him appear to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris kept a remarkable level of composure all along, insisting despite challenges—like his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would stick to his strategy and approach every outing with the identical relentless attention to detail. This approach has paid off.

All the while, McLaren have gone to no little effort to attempt to preserve a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has at times been something of difficult process, most notably at Monza when the squad directed Piastri to cede the runner-up spot to his teammate following he had fallen behind because of a delayed tire change. Certain spectators did not take well to what was seen as McLaren unnecessarily interfering with their competitors.

The championship leader has claimed victory in the previous pair of grands prix, in Mexico and São Paulo, and was booed on the podium at each, yet he remained unmoved. "Once you are leading, a lot of people want to bring you down. They do not like seeing you succeeding. I consider it a good thing," he remarked.

"It just makes me laugh. While standing on the winner's stage in Interlagos, I really loved it. The experience was very enjoyable. At last you feel like you're doing success.

"I don't mind, provided that I come out on top. As long as I feel like I'm doing it the right manner, and I think that's the case, so long as I feel like I am dedicating hard work into being who I am and similar principles, then I am not concerned with external opinions."

Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be conquered, and it is not a track ideal for the McLaren. The layout has similarities with Canada and Baku: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. They are the only two circuits this season where the papaya squad have been unable to secure at least one top-three finish, and Norris was circumspect once more about their prospects in Nevada. Still, his task in the short term is straightforward: end the race in front of his teammate and the points he requires will follow.

Practice Sees Varied Results for Title Contenders

The Ferrari driver topped the leaderboard in FP1 on what was remained a dusty and very low-grip track. The Williams racer was second, with Verstappen fourth, the McLaren ace in P6, and Piastri in eighth. During the more representative night running of second practice, the Briton was quickest ahead of the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri down in fourteenth; though, the practice lost almost all of the final 20 minutes of running to check a suspected unsecured drain cover at turn 17.

The issue is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a loose manhole smashed into the Ferrari, severely harming it and causing the practice to be ended.

The German Team Confirm Stake Sale

Mercedes have confirmed that their team principal Toto Wolff has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, equating to a five percent ownership in the team, to US tycoon George Kurtz. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company the tech giant. Wolff will remain as team principal and could earn as much as £230m from the deal, with Mercedes having been valued at £4.57 billion, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.