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Despite the excitement around the Sin City Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is maintaining a level head about his chances of claiming his first drivers' championship.

The British driver presently holds a two-dozen point lead over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by 49 points, with just a maximum of 83 points up for grabs across the final three races. But, after pulling off a extraordinary recovery from a significant deficit his teammate following the Zandvoort race in the summer, Norris is focused on executing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the lead of the championship.

"It can easily turn the opposite way once more even though I don't want it to," he commented. "That's racing, as we all know. You can also have luck. Other times you end up unfortunate. No matter what happens. It's no point becoming overjoyed or dwelling on it. I continue to view it as something that remains distant."

Norris has found his peak performance at a crucial juncture—after difficulties with the vehicle in the opening half of the season—at the same time that Piastri has shed the disciplined, almost flawless composure that previously made him appear to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris kept a remarkable level of equanimity all along, asserting despite challenges—such as his retirement from the Zandvoort race—that he would adhere to his strategy and approach each session with the identical unwavering attention to detail. It has yielded results.

All the while, 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, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the team directed the Australian to surrender second place to Norris following he had lost the spot because of a delayed tire change. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was considered McLaren unnecessarily interfering with their drivers.

Norris has claimed victory in the last two grands prix, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was booed on the winner's rostrum at both, leaving him unmoved. "Once you are leading, many people try to bring you down. They do not like seeing you winning. I consider it a positive sign," he remarked.

"It just makes me laugh. While standing on the winner's stage in Interlagos, I really loved it. The experience was very satisfying. You finally feel like you are achieving something right.

"I don't mind, as long as I come out on top. If I feel like I am competing the correct manner, which I feel like that's the case, so long as I am confident I am dedicating effort into being who I am and similar principles, then I'm not too fussed about the rest of it."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, must be mastered, and it is a circuit suited to the British team. It shares characteristics with Canada and Baku: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and slippery surfaces. These are the sole pair of tracks in the current championship where the papaya squad have failed to claim at least one top-three finish, and Norris was circumspect again about their chances this weekend. Yet, his objective in the short term is straightforward: finish in ahead of Piastri and the points he needs will come.

Practice Shows Mixed Results for Title Contenders

The Ferrari driver led the leaderboard in first practice on what was remained a dusty and very low-grip surface. Alex Albon was second, with Verstappen fourth, Norris sixth, and the Australian in eighth. In the more representative night running of FP2, Norris was quickest ahead of the Silver Arrows of Kimi Antonelli, with his teammate down in fourteenth; though, the session was interrupted for almost all of the last third of track time to inspect a reported loose manhole cover at turn 17.

This problem is taken seriously on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Nevada GP held in 2023, a dislodged drain cover smashed into the Ferrari, heavily damaging it and leading to the session to be ended.

The German Team Announce Stake Sale

Mercedes have revealed that their team principal the Austrian executive has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, equating to a five percent ownership in the squad, to American billionaire George Kurtz. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company the tech giant. Wolff will stay on as boss and could earn up to £230m from the sale, with Mercedes having been appraised at £4.57 billion, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.