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Amid all hype around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is keeping a level head about his prospects of claiming his first world title.

The British driver presently holds a 24-point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with only up to eighty-three points up for grabs across the final three races. However, after staging a extraordinary recovery from a significant deficit Piastri following the Zandvoort race in August, Norris is focused on executing with the clinical precision that propelled him to the lead of the championship.

"Things can quickly go in the other direction again even though I don't want it to," he stated. "That's racing, as we all know. Sometimes you get lucky. Other times you end up unfortunate. No matter what happens. It's no point getting excited or dwelling on it. I still view it as something that's quite distant."

The 26-year-old has found 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 controlled, almost flawless composure that had for so long made him seem to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris maintained a impressive level of equanimity all along, insisting even in the face of challenges—such as his retirement from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his strategy and work every outing with the same relentless focus on specifics. It has paid off.

Meanwhile, the team have worked hard to attempt to preserve a fair competition for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been something of torturous process, especially at Monza when the team instructed the Australian to cede the runner-up spot to his teammate after he had lost the spot because of a delayed tire change. Certain spectators did not take well to what was seen as McLaren needlessly interfering with their drivers.

The championship leader has won the previous pair of races, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was booed on the winner's rostrum at both, leaving him unfazed. "When you're leading, a lot of individuals try to undermine you. They don't want to see you winning. I see it as a positive sign," he remarked.

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

"It doesn't bother me, as long as I win. If I believe I'm doing it the correct way, which I feel like I am, as long as I am confident I am dedicating effort into remaining true to myself and similar principles, then I am not concerned about the rest of it."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, needs to be mastered, and it is not a track suited to the McLaren. It shares characteristics with Montreal and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and slippery surfaces. These are the only two tracks this season where the papaya squad have failed to secure a single top-three finish, and Norris was cautious once more about their chances this weekend. Still, his task in the short term is straightforward: end the race in front of Piastri and the championship tally he needs will come.

Practice Sees Varied Results for Championship Rivals

Charles Leclerc led the times in FP1 on what was remained a dusty and very slippery track. The Williams racer was runner-up, with the Red Bull star fourth, Norris in P6, and Piastri eighth. During the more representative evening session of FP2, Norris was fastest from the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with his teammate 14th; however, the practice was interrupted for nearly the last third of running to inspect a suspected unsecured drain cover at turn 17.

This problem is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a loose manhole struck the Ferrari, severely damaging it and leading to the practice to be ended.

Mercedes Announce Ownership Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have revealed that their boss the Austrian executive has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, representing a 5% share in the squad, to American billionaire the cybersecurity magnate. Kurtz is the CEO and founder of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. The team principal will stay on as boss and may receive as much as £230 million from the sale, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57 billion, a new high for an F1 team.