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Despite all excitement around the Sin City Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a calm demeanor about his chances of claiming his maiden world title.

Norris currently holds a two-dozen point lead over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by 49 points, with just a maximum of 83 points up for grabs across the remaining trio of races. However, after pulling off a remarkable recovery from a significant deficit Piastri following the Zandvoort race in the summer, Norris is concentrating on performing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the top of the championship.

"Things can easily go the opposite way once more even though I hope it doesn't," he stated. "That's motorsport, you know. Sometimes you also have luck. You can also be unlucky. Whatever it may be. There's really no point getting excited or thinking about it. I still do see 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—while Piastri has shed the controlled, nearly flawless composure that had for so long made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris maintained a remarkable level of equanimity all along, insisting despite setbacks—such as his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his strategy and work every outing with the identical unwavering focus on specifics. It has yielded results.

Meanwhile, McLaren have gone to no little effort to attempt to preserve a fair competition for their two drivers, and it has at times been something of torturous experience, especially at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad instructed Piastri to surrender second place to his teammate following he had fallen behind due to a delayed tire change. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was considered McLaren needlessly manipulating their competitors.

The championship leader has claimed victory in the last two races, in Mexico City and Brazil, and was booed on the podium at each, yet he remained unmoved. "Once you are on top, a lot of individuals try to undermine you. They don't like seeing you succeeding. I see it as a good thing," he remarked.

"It makes me laugh. While standing on the winner's stage in Brazil, I truly enjoyed it. The experience was quite satisfying. At last you sense that you are achieving success.

"It doesn't bother me, provided that I win. If I feel like I'm doing it the right way, which I feel like I am, so long as I am confident I'm putting effort into being who I am and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed with the rest of it."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, must be conquered, and it is not a track suited to the British team. It shares characteristics with Canada and Azerbaijan: low downforce, cool temperatures, and slippery surfaces. These are the only two tracks this season where McLaren have failed to secure at least one top-three finish, and the leader was circumspect once more about their prospects in Nevada. Yet, his objective in the immediate future is simple: end the race in front of his teammate and the points he requires will come.

Practice Sees Mixed Results for Championship Rivals

Charles Leclerc led the times in FP1 on what was remained a dusty and extremely slippery track. The Williams racer was second, with Verstappen fourth, the McLaren ace sixth, and Piastri in eighth. During the more representative night running of second practice, Norris was quickest from the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with his teammate down in fourteenth; though, the practice lost almost all of the last third of running to inspect a reported loose manhole cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Nevada GP held in 2023, a dislodged drain cover smashed into Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, heavily harming it and causing the practice to be ended.

The German Team Confirm Stake Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their team principal the Austrian executive has sold a 15% stake in his investment firm, representing a five percent ownership in the team, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Wolff will remain as boss and could earn up to £230 million from the sale, with Mercedes having been appraised at £4.57bn, a new high for an F1 team.