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Amid all excitement surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is keeping a calm demeanor regarding his prospects of claiming his first drivers' championship.

The British driver presently has a two-dozen point lead over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only up to eighty-three points available across the remaining trio of events. But, after pulling off a remarkable comeback from 34 points behind Piastri following the Dutch Grand Prix in the summer, Norris is concentrating on executing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the top of the championship.

"It can easily turn in the other direction again even though I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's racing, you know. Sometimes you also have luck. You can end up unfortunate. No matter what happens. There's really no point getting excited or dwelling on it. I still do see it as something that's quite distant."

The 26-year-old has found his best form at a crucial juncture—after difficulties with the car in the opening half of the season—while his teammate has lost the controlled, almost perfect composure that previously made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris kept a remarkable level of composure all along, insisting even in the face of challenges—such as his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his strategy and approach each session with the same unwavering focus on specifics. It has paid off.

Meanwhile, McLaren have worked hard to try to maintain a fair competition for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been a rather difficult experience, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad directed the Australian to surrender the runner-up spot to his teammate following he had fallen behind due to a slow pit stop. Certain spectators did not take well to what was seen as the team unnecessarily interfering with their drivers.

Norris has claimed victory in the previous pair of races, in Mexico City and Brazil, and was jeered on the podium at each, yet he remained unmoved. "When you're on top, a lot of people want to bring you down. They don't like seeing you winning. I consider it a good thing," he said.

"It just makes me laugh. While standing on the winner's stage in Interlagos, I really loved it. The experience was quite enjoyable. You finally feel like you are achieving success.

"It doesn't bother me, as long as I win. If I feel like I'm doing it the correct way, and I think I am, as long as I feel like I'm putting effort into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed about the rest of it."

Vegas, meanwhile, must be conquered, and it is not a track suited to the McLaren. It shares similarities with Canada and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, 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 Norris was circumspect once more about their chances in Nevada. Still, his objective in the short term is straightforward: end the race in front of his teammate and the championship tally he requires will come.

Practice Shows Mixed Outcomes for Title Rivals

Charles Leclerc led the times in first practice on what was remained a sandy and very slippery surface. The Williams racer was second, with Verstappen in fourth, Norris in P6, and Piastri eighth. During the more representative night running of FP2, the Briton was fastest from the Silver Arrows of the Italian rookie, with Piastri down in fourteenth; though, the session lost nearly the final 20 minutes of running to check a reported unsecured drain cover at the penultimate corner.

The issue is taken seriously on a temporary track where, at the first Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a dislodged drain cover struck the Ferrari, heavily damaging it and causing the practice to be ended.

The German Team Announce Ownership Transaction

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their boss Toto Wolff has sold a fifteen percent share in his investment firm, representing a 5% share in the squad, to US tycoon George Kurtz. Kurtz is the CEO and founder of the cybersecurity company the tech giant. Wolff will remain as boss and could earn up to £230m from the deal, with Mercedes having been valued at £4.57bn, a record for an F1 team.