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Despite all hype surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a calm demeanor about his chances of claiming his first drivers' championship.

The British driver currently has a two-dozen point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with just a maximum of eighty-three points available across the remaining trio of races. But, after staging a extraordinary recovery from 34 points behind Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is concentrating on executing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the top of the standings.

"It can quickly go in the other direction once more even though I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's racing, as we all know. You can get lucky. You can also be unfortunate. Whatever it may be. It's no point getting excited or dwelling on it. I continue to do see it as something that's quite far away."

Norris has found his best form at a crucial moment—having struggled with the vehicle in the first part of the season—at the same time that his teammate has shed the controlled, nearly perfect ease that had for so long made him appear to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris maintained a remarkable level of equanimity throughout, insisting despite challenges—like his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his gameplan and approach each session with the identical relentless attention to detail. It has yielded results.

All the while, the team have worked hard to try to maintain a fair competition for their two drivers, and it has at times been a rather difficult experience, especially at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad instructed the Australian to cede second place to Norris after he had lost the spot because of a delayed tire change. Some fans did not take well to what was considered the team needlessly interfering with their drivers.

Norris has claimed victory in the last two grands prix, in Mexico and Brazil, and was booed on the winner's rostrum at both, leaving him unmoved. "Once you are on top, many people want to undermine you. They don't like seeing you winning. I consider it a positive sign," he remarked.

"It just amuses me. When I was on the podium in Brazil, I really loved it. It was very enjoyable. At last you sense that you're doing something right.

"I don't mind, provided that I win. If I believe I'm doing it the right way, which I feel like I am, so long as I feel like I am dedicating effort into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed about external opinions."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be conquered, and it is a circuit ideal for the McLaren. It shares similarities with Canada and Azerbaijan: low downforce, 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 Norris was cautious once more about their prospects in Nevada. Yet, his objective in the immediate future is straightforward: finish in front of his teammate and the points he requires will come.

Practice Sees Mixed Outcomes for Championship Contenders

The Ferrari driver topped the times in FP1 on what was remained a sandy and very low-grip track. Alex Albon was runner-up, with the Red Bull star in fourth, Norris sixth, and the Australian in eighth. During the more indicative night running of FP2, the Briton was fastest ahead of the Silver Arrows of the Italian rookie, with his teammate 14th; however, the practice lost nearly the final 20 minutes of track time to inspect a reported loose manhole cover at the penultimate corner.

The issue is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the first Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a loose drain cover struck Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, severely damaging it and leading to the session to be ended.

The German Team Confirm Ownership Sale

Mercedes have revealed that their boss Toto Wolff has sold a fifteen percent share in his investment firm, representing a five percent ownership in the team, to US tycoon George Kurtz. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company the tech giant. The team principal will stay on as boss and may receive up to £230m from the deal, with Mercedes having been appraised at £4.57bn, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.