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Amid all excitement surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a calm demeanor regarding his chances of securing his first world title.

Norris presently has a two-dozen point advantage over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only a maximum of 83 points up for grabs across the remaining trio of events. But, after staging a remarkable comeback from 34 points behind Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is focused on executing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the top of the standings.

"Things can quickly go the opposite way again even though I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's racing, you know. Sometimes you also have luck. You can also be unlucky. No matter what happens. There's really not worth becoming overjoyed or dwelling on it. I continue to view it as something that remains far away."

Norris has discovered his best form at a critical moment—after difficulties with the vehicle in the opening half of the season—at the same time that Piastri has lost the controlled, almost flawless composure that had for so long made him appear to be a champion in waiting. Importantly, Norris maintained a remarkable level of equanimity throughout, asserting even in the face of setbacks—such as his retirement from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his strategy and approach each session with the same unwavering focus on specifics. This approach has paid off.

Meanwhile, the team have gone to no little effort to try to maintain a fair competition for their pair of racers, and it has at times been something of difficult experience, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad directed the Australian to cede the runner-up spot to Norris after he had fallen behind due to a slow pit stop. Some fans did not take well to what was seen as the team unnecessarily interfering with their competitors.

Norris has claimed victory in the last two grands prix, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was jeered on the winner's rostrum at each, yet he remained unmoved. "When you're leading, a lot of individuals want to bring you down. They don't want to see you succeeding. I consider it a positive sign," he said.

"It makes me laugh. When I was on the winner's stage in Interlagos, I really enjoyed it. The experience was very satisfying. You finally sense that you're doing something right.

"It doesn't bother me, as long as I win. As long as I believe I am competing the right way, which I feel like that's the case, so long as I feel like I'm putting effort into being who I am and similar principles, then I'm not too fussed about external opinions."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be conquered, and it is not a track ideal for the McLaren. It shares characteristics with Canada and Baku: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and slippery surfaces. They are the sole pair of tracks this season where McLaren have been unable to claim at least one top-three finish, and the leader was cautious again about their chances in Nevada. Still, his task in the short term is simple: end the race in front of his teammate and the points he requires will follow.

Friday Running Shows Varied Outcomes for Championship Rivals

Charles Leclerc led the times in first practice on what was still a sandy and extremely slippery track. The Williams racer was runner-up, with the Red Bull star fourth, Norris sixth, and Piastri in eighth. In the more representative evening session of second practice, the Briton was fastest ahead of the Silver Arrows of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri down in fourteenth; however, the session was interrupted for almost all of the last third of running to check a reported unsecured drain cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the first Nevada GP held in 2023, a dislodged drain cover struck Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, heavily damaging it and leading to the session to be aborted.

Mercedes Confirm Stake Transaction

The eight-time constructors' champions have revealed that their team principal Toto Wolff has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, equating to a 5% share in the squad, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the digital protection firm CrowdStrike. Wolff will stay on as team principal and may receive up to £230m from the deal, with Mercedes having been appraised at £4.57 billion, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.