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Despite all hype around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is keeping a level head regarding his chances of securing his first drivers' championship.

The British driver currently has a 24-point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only up to eighty-three points up for grabs across the remaining trio of events. However, after staging a extraordinary comeback from a significant deficit Piastri following the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is concentrating on executing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the top of the championship.

"It can quickly go the opposite way again as much as I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's racing, as we all know. You can get lucky. You can end up unfortunate. Whatever it may be. There's really not worth becoming overjoyed or dwelling on it. I continue to view it as something that's quite distant."

Norris has found his best form at a critical juncture—after difficulties with the car in the first part of the season—while his teammate has lost the disciplined, nearly perfect composure that had for so long made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Importantly, Norris maintained a remarkable level of equanimity all along, insisting even in the face of setbacks—such as his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his gameplan and work each session with the identical relentless attention to detail. This approach has paid off.

All the while, the team have gone to no little effort to attempt to maintain a fair competition for their pair of racers, and it has on occasion been something of difficult process, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad directed Piastri to cede the runner-up spot to Norris after he had fallen behind because of a delayed tire change. Certain spectators did not take well to what was considered McLaren unnecessarily manipulating their competitors.

Norris has won the previous pair of grands prix, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was jeered on the podium at both, leaving him unmoved. "When you're leading, a lot of individuals try to undermine you. They don't like seeing you succeeding. I see it as a positive sign," he remarked.

"It makes me laugh. While standing on the podium in Interlagos, I truly loved it. The experience was quite satisfying. At last you sense that you're doing success.

"I don't mind, as long as I come out on top. If I believe I'm doing it the correct manner, and I think that's the case, as long as I feel like I am dedicating effort into being who I am and those kinds of things, then I am not concerned with external opinions."

Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be conquered, and it is not a track suited to the British team. It shares characteristics with Canada and Baku: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, and low grip. They are the sole pair of tracks this season where McLaren have failed to claim at least one podium place, and the leader was circumspect once more about their prospects in Nevada. Yet, his objective in the immediate future is straightforward: end the race in front of Piastri and the points he needs will come.

Practice Sees Mixed Outcomes for Championship Contenders

Charles Leclerc topped the leaderboard in FP1 on what was remained a sandy and very low-grip track. Alex Albon was runner-up, with Verstappen fourth, Norris in P6, and the Australian in eighth. During the more indicative night running of second practice, Norris was quickest ahead of the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri 14th; though, the session was interrupted for nearly the final 20 minutes of track time to check a reported unsecured drain cover at turn 17.

The issue is taken seriously on a temporary track where, at the first Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a loose manhole smashed into the Ferrari, severely damaging it and leading to the practice to be ended.

The German Team Confirm Ownership Transaction

Mercedes have confirmed that their boss Toto Wolff has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, equating to a five percent ownership in the squad, to American billionaire the cybersecurity magnate. Kurtz is the CEO and founder of the digital protection firm CrowdStrike. Wolff will remain as boss and could earn up to £230m from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57bn, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.