🔗 Share this article

Amid the excitement surrounding the Sin City Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a calm demeanor about his prospects of claiming his maiden world title.

The British driver presently has a two-dozen point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only a maximum of eighty-three points up for grabs across the remaining trio of races. But, after pulling off a remarkable comeback from a significant deficit Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in the summer, Norris is focused on performing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the top of the championship.

"It can quickly turn the opposite way once more as much as I hope it doesn't," he stated. "That's racing, you know. You can get lucky. You can end up unfortunate. Whatever it may be. There's really no point becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I still view it as a goal that's quite distant."

Norris has discovered his best form at a critical juncture—having struggled with the car in the opening half of the campaign—at the same time that Piastri has shed the disciplined, nearly flawless ease that had for so long made him appear to be a champion in waiting. Importantly, Norris maintained a impressive level of composure all along, asserting even in the face of setbacks—like his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his gameplan and work every outing with the identical unwavering attention to detail. This approach has paid off.

All the while, McLaren have worked hard to attempt to maintain a level playing field for their pair of racers, and it has on occasion been a rather torturous experience, most notably at Monza when the squad directed the Australian to surrender the runner-up spot to Norris following he had lost the spot due to a slow pit stop. Some fans did not take well to what was seen as McLaren unnecessarily manipulating their drivers.

The championship leader has won the last two grands prix, in Mexico City and Brazil, and was jeered on the winner's rostrum at each, yet he remained unfazed. "When you're on top, a lot of people want to bring you down. They do not want to see you winning. I see it as a good thing," he remarked.

"It makes me laugh. When I was on the podium in Interlagos, I truly loved it. The experience was very satisfying. 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 feel like I'm doing it the right manner, which I feel like that's the case, as long as I am confident I am dedicating hard work into being who I am and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed about the rest of it."

Vegas, meanwhile, must be conquered, and it is a circuit suited to the British team. The layout has similarities with Montreal and Baku: low downforce, cool temperatures, and slippery surfaces. They are the only two circuits this season where McLaren have failed to claim a single podium place, and the leader was circumspect again about their prospects in Nevada. Yet, his task in the short term is straightforward: end the race in front of Piastri and the championship tally he requires will come.

Friday Running Shows Mixed Results for Championship Rivals

Charles Leclerc topped the leaderboard in first practice on what was still a dusty and very slippery surface. Alex Albon was second, with the Red Bull star fourth, the McLaren ace sixth, and the Australian in eighth. In the more representative night running of second practice, Norris was fastest ahead of the Mercedes of the Italian rookie, with his teammate 14th; though, the session was interrupted for nearly the last third of running to inspect a suspected loose drain cover at turn 17.

The issue is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the first Nevada GP held in 2023, a loose manhole smashed into the Ferrari, heavily damaging it and causing the practice to be aborted.

Mercedes Announce Ownership Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their team principal the Austrian executive has divested a 15% stake in his investment firm, representing a five percent ownership in the team, to American billionaire the cybersecurity magnate. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the digital protection firm CrowdStrike. Wolff will stay on as team principal and could earn as much as £230 million from the sale, with the Brackley-based outfit having been appraised at £4.57 billion, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.