🔗 Share this article

Despite all hype surrounding the Sin City Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a level head regarding his prospects of claiming his maiden drivers' championship.

Norris presently holds a 24-point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with only up to eighty-three points up for grabs across the final three races. However, after pulling off a remarkable comeback from 34 points behind his teammate following the Zandvoort race in the summer, Norris is concentrating on performing with the methodical approach that lifted him to the lead of the standings.

"Things can easily go in the other direction once more even though I hope it doesn't," he stated. "That's motorsport, you know. Sometimes you also have luck. Other times you also be unfortunate. No matter what happens. It's no point getting excited or dwelling on it. I still view it as something that remains far away."

The 26-year-old has discovered his peak performance at a critical moment—having struggled with the car in the opening half of the campaign—at the same time that Piastri has lost the controlled, almost perfect ease that previously made him appear to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris kept a remarkable level of composure all along, insisting despite challenges—such as his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would adhere to his strategy and approach each session with the identical relentless attention to detail. It has yielded results.

All the while, McLaren have worked hard to try to maintain a fair competition for their pair of racers, and it has on occasion been a rather difficult process, most notably at Monza when the squad directed the Australian to surrender second place to Norris after he had fallen behind because of a slow pit stop. Certain spectators did not take well to what was seen as the team needlessly interfering with their competitors.

The championship leader has claimed victory in the last two races, in Mexico and São Paulo, and was jeered on the winner's rostrum at both, leaving him unfazed. "Once you are leading, many individuals try to undermine you. They do not like seeing you winning. I see it as a good thing," he said.

"It just amuses me. While standing on the winner's stage in Interlagos, I really loved it. It was very enjoyable. You finally sense that you're doing something right.

"It doesn't bother me, as long as I win. If I believe I'm doing it the right manner, and I think that's the case, as long as I am confident I am dedicating effort into being who I am and those kinds of things, then I am not concerned with external opinions."

Vegas, on the other hand, needs to be mastered, and it is not a track ideal for the McLaren. It shares similarities with Canada and Baku: low downforce, chilly conditions, and low grip. These are the only two tracks this season where McLaren have failed to claim a single podium place, and Norris was circumspect again about their prospects this weekend. Yet, his objective in the short term is straightforward: end the race in ahead of Piastri and the points he needs will follow.

Practice Sees Mixed Results for Championship Contenders

The Ferrari driver led the times in first practice on what was still a dusty and extremely low-grip track. The Williams racer was second, with the Red Bull star in fourth, Norris sixth, and Piastri eighth. During the more indicative evening session of second practice, the Briton was fastest ahead of the Silver Arrows of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri 14th; however, the session lost almost all of the last third of running to check a reported loose manhole cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the first Nevada GP staged in 2023, a loose drain cover struck the Ferrari, severely damaging it and causing the practice to be aborted.

Mercedes Confirm Stake Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have revealed that their boss Toto Wolff has divested a fifteen percent share in his investment firm, representing a 5% share in the team, to American billionaire George Kurtz. Kurtz is the CEO and founder of the digital protection firm the tech giant. The team principal will remain as team principal and could earn up to £230m from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been appraised at £4.57 billion, a new high for an F1 team.