🔗 Share this article

Despite all excitement surrounding the Sin City Grand Prix, Lando Norris is keeping a level head regarding his prospects of claiming his maiden world title.

Norris currently has a two-dozen point advantage over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with just a maximum of eighty-three points available across the remaining trio of events. But, after staging a extraordinary recovery from a significant deficit his teammate following the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is concentrating on executing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the lead of the championship.

"Things can quickly go the opposite way again as much as I don't want it to," he commented. "That's motorsport, you know. Sometimes you get lucky. You can end up unlucky. Whatever it may be. There's really not worth becoming overjoyed or dwelling on it. I still view it as a goal that's quite distant."

The 26-year-old has found his best form at a crucial moment—having struggled with the car in the opening half of the campaign—while Piastri has lost the disciplined, almost flawless ease that previously made him appear to be a future title winner. Importantly, Norris maintained a impressive level of equanimity all along, insisting even in the face of challenges—like his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his gameplan and work every outing with the same unwavering focus on specifics. It has paid off.

Meanwhile, McLaren have gone to no little effort to attempt to maintain a fair competition for their pair of racers, and it has on occasion been a rather difficult process, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad directed the Australian to surrender second place to his teammate following he had fallen behind due to a delayed tire change. Some fans were unhappy with what was seen as the team unnecessarily manipulating their drivers.

The championship leader has won the last two grands prix, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was booed on the podium at each, leaving him unfazed. "When you're leading, many individuals try to bring you down. They do not want to see you succeeding. I see it as a positive sign," he said.

"It amuses me. When I was on the winner's stage in Brazil, I really loved it. It was very enjoyable. At last you sense that you are achieving something right.

"I don't mind, provided that I come out on top. As long as I believe I am competing the correct way, and I think that's the case, so long as I feel like I am dedicating hard work into being who I am and similar principles, then I'm not too fussed about external opinions."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, must be conquered, and it is a circuit suited to the McLaren. The layout has characteristics with Montreal and Baku: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and low grip. These are the only two circuits in the current championship where the papaya squad have been unable to claim a single top-three finish, and the leader was cautious again about their chances this weekend. Still, his objective in the short term is simple: finish in ahead of his teammate and the points he requires will follow.

Practice Shows Mixed Outcomes for Championship Contenders

Charles Leclerc topped the times in FP1 on what was remained a sandy and extremely slippery surface. Alex Albon was runner-up, with Verstappen fourth, the McLaren ace sixth, and the Australian eighth. In the more indicative evening session of second practice, the Briton was fastest ahead of the Silver Arrows of the Italian rookie, with Piastri down in fourteenth; however, the session lost nearly the last third of running to inspect a reported loose drain cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a dislodged drain cover smashed into Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, severely harming it and causing the practice to be aborted.

Mercedes Confirm Ownership Transaction

Mercedes have confirmed that their team principal Toto Wolff has sold a 15% stake in his holding company, representing a 5% share in the squad, to US tycoon George Kurtz. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the digital protection firm the tech giant. The team principal will stay on as team principal and may receive as much as £230 million from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been appraised at £4.57 billion, a record for an F1 team.