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Despite all excitement surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a level head regarding 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 49 points, with only up to 83 points available across the final three races. But, after staging a remarkable comeback from a significant deficit his teammate after the Zandvoort race in August, Norris is focused on performing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the lead of the championship.

"It can quickly turn the opposite way again as much as I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's racing, you know. You can get lucky. Other times you also be unfortunate. Whatever it may be. It's no point becoming overjoyed or dwelling on it. I continue to view it as something that remains far away."

Norris has discovered his best form at a crucial moment—after difficulties with the vehicle in the first part of the season—while his teammate has lost the disciplined, nearly perfect ease that previously made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris kept a impressive level of composure all along, asserting even in the face of setbacks—such as his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would adhere to his strategy and approach every outing with the identical relentless focus on specifics. It has paid off.

Meanwhile, McLaren have worked hard to attempt to preserve a fair competition for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been something of difficult process, especially at Monza 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 needlessly interfering with their drivers.

The championship leader has claimed victory in the last two grands prix, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was jeered on the winner's rostrum at both, leaving him unfazed. "When you're leading, a lot of people want to undermine you. They do not 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 Interlagos, I truly loved it. The experience was very enjoyable. You finally feel like you are achieving success.

"It doesn't bother me, provided that I come out on top. As long as I believe I'm doing it the correct way, which I feel like that's the case, so long as I feel like I am dedicating hard work into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed with external opinions."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, must be conquered, and it is not a track ideal for the British team. The layout has similarities with Montreal and Baku: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. These are the sole pair of tracks in the current championship where McLaren have been unable to secure a single podium place, and the leader was circumspect again about their chances in Nevada. Yet, his objective in the short term is straightforward: finish in ahead of his teammate and the points he requires will follow.

Practice Sees Mixed Results for Title Contenders

Charles Leclerc led the leaderboard in FP1 on what was remained a sandy and extremely slippery track. The Williams racer was second, with the Red Bull star in fourth, Norris sixth, and Piastri in eighth. In the more indicative night running of second practice, Norris was quickest ahead of the Mercedes of the Italian rookie, with Piastri 14th; however, the session was interrupted for almost all of the final 20 minutes of running to inspect a reported unsecured drain cover at turn 17.

The issue is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the first Las Vegas GP held in 2023, a dislodged drain cover struck the Ferrari, heavily harming it and leading to the session to be aborted.

Mercedes Announce Ownership Transaction

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their team principal the Austrian executive has divested a fifteen percent share in his investment firm, representing a 5% share in the squad, to American billionaire George Kurtz. Kurtz is the CEO and founder of the digital protection firm 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 appraised at £4.57bn, a new high for an F1 team.