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Amid the excitement surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is keeping a level head regarding his prospects of claiming his maiden world title.

Norris currently holds a two-dozen point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by 49 points, with only a maximum of eighty-three points available across the final three events. However, after pulling off a remarkable comeback from a significant deficit his teammate after the Dutch Grand Prix in the summer, Norris is focused on performing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the lead of the championship.

"It can easily go the opposite way again even though I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's motorsport, as we all know. Sometimes you get lucky. You can end up unlucky. No matter what happens. It's not worth getting excited or dwelling on it. I continue to do see it as a goal that remains far away."

The 26-year-old has found his best form at a critical moment—after difficulties with the vehicle in the first part of the campaign—while Piastri has lost the disciplined, almost perfect composure that previously made him seem to be a future title winner. Importantly, Norris maintained a impressive level of composure throughout, asserting despite challenges—like his retirement from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his gameplan and work each session with the same unwavering attention to detail. It has paid off.

Meanwhile, McLaren have gone to no little effort to try to preserve a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been a rather difficult experience, especially at the Italian Grand Prix when the team instructed the Australian to cede second place to his teammate after he had lost the spot due to a delayed tire change. Some fans were unhappy with what was seen as the team unnecessarily interfering with their drivers.

The championship leader has won the last two races, in Mexico City and Brazil, and was jeered on the podium at both, yet he remained unmoved. "Once you are leading, many people want to bring you down. They don't want to see you succeeding. I consider it a good thing," he said.

"It makes me laugh. While standing on the podium in Interlagos, I really loved it. It was very enjoyable. At last you feel like you are achieving something right.

"It doesn't bother me, as long as I come out on top. If I believe I'm doing it the correct manner, and I think I am, so long as I feel like I am dedicating effort into being who I am and similar principles, then I am not concerned with external opinions."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be mastered, and it is not a track ideal for the McLaren. It shares characteristics with Montreal and Baku: low downforce, cool temperatures, and low grip. These are the only two tracks in the current championship where the papaya squad have failed to secure at least one podium place, and Norris was circumspect again about their chances in Nevada. Still, his objective in the immediate future is simple: finish in ahead of Piastri and the championship tally he needs will follow.

Friday Running Shows Mixed Results for Title Rivals

Charles Leclerc topped the times in first practice on what was remained a sandy and extremely slippery track. Alex Albon was runner-up, with the Red Bull star fourth, Norris sixth, and Piastri in eighth. During the more representative evening session of FP2, the Briton was quickest from the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri 14th; though, the session lost almost all of the final 20 minutes of running to check a reported loose drain cover at the penultimate corner.

The issue is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a loose manhole struck the Ferrari, heavily harming it and leading to the session to be ended.

Mercedes Confirm Ownership Transaction

The eight-time constructors' champions have revealed that their boss Toto Wolff has sold a 15% stake in his investment firm, equating to a 5% share in the team, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the digital protection firm the tech giant. Wolff will stay on as team principal and may receive up to £230m from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57bn, a record for an F1 team.