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Amid the excitement surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is keeping a level head about his prospects of claiming his maiden world title.

The British driver presently holds a two-dozen point lead over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with just up to 83 points available across the final three races. However, after staging a remarkable comeback from 34 points behind Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in the summer, Norris is concentrating on performing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the top of the championship.

"Things can quickly go in the other direction again even though I don't want it to," he commented. "That's racing, as we all know. Sometimes you get lucky. Other times you end up unlucky. No matter what happens. It's not worth getting excited or dwelling on it. I still do see it as a goal that remains distant."

Norris has found his best form at a critical moment—having struggled with the vehicle in the opening half of the season—while Piastri has lost the disciplined, almost flawless composure that had for so long made him appear to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris kept a impressive level of equanimity all along, asserting even in the face of challenges—such as his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his strategy and approach every outing with the same unwavering focus on specifics. This approach has paid off.

Meanwhile, the team have gone to no little effort to attempt to maintain a level playing field for their pair of racers, and it has at times been something of difficult process, most notably at Monza when the team directed the Australian to cede the runner-up spot to his teammate after he had lost the spot due to a slow pit stop. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was considered McLaren needlessly manipulating their competitors.

Norris has won the last two races, in Mexico and Brazil, and was jeered on the winner's rostrum at both, yet he remained unmoved. "When you're leading, many people want to bring you down. They do not like seeing you winning. I see it as a good thing," he said.

"It makes me laugh. While standing on the podium in Interlagos, I truly loved it. The experience was very satisfying. You finally feel like you're doing something right.

"It doesn't bother me, provided that I come out on top. If I believe I'm doing it 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 those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed about external opinions."

Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be mastered, and it is a circuit ideal for the McLaren. The layout has characteristics with Montreal and Azerbaijan: low downforce, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. They are the sole pair of circuits in the current championship where McLaren have been unable to claim at least one podium place, and the leader was cautious again about their prospects in Nevada. Still, his objective in the immediate future is straightforward: finish in front of Piastri and the points he needs will come.

Practice Sees Varied Results for Championship Contenders

Charles Leclerc led the times in FP1 on what was still a dusty and very low-grip track. Alex Albon was runner-up, with Verstappen fourth, Norris in P6, and Piastri in eighth. During the more indicative night running of FP2, the Briton was quickest from the Silver Arrows of Kimi Antonelli, with his teammate 14th; however, the session lost almost all of the last third of running to inspect a reported unsecured drain cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is taken seriously on a street circuit where, at the first Nevada GP held in 2023, a loose manhole struck the Ferrari, severely damaging it and causing the practice to be ended.

The German Team Announce Ownership Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have revealed that their boss the Austrian executive has sold a fifteen percent share in his investment firm, equating to a five percent ownership in the team, to US tycoon George Kurtz. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company the tech giant. The team principal will remain as team principal and may receive up to £230m from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been appraised at £4.57 billion, a new high for an Formula 1 constructor.