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Despite all hype surrounding the Sin City Grand Prix, Lando Norris is keeping a level head about his prospects of securing his maiden world title.

The British driver currently has a 24-point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only up to 83 points up for grabs across the remaining trio of events. But, after pulling off a extraordinary recovery from a significant deficit Piastri following the Zandvoort race in August, Norris is focused on performing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the top of the championship.

"Things can quickly turn in the other direction again even though I don't want it to," he commented. "That's motorsport, as we all know. Sometimes you get lucky. You can end up unlucky. Whatever it may be. It's no point getting excited or dwelling on it. I continue to do see it as something that's quite distant."

The 26-year-old has discovered his best form at a critical juncture—having struggled with the car in the first part of the season—at the same time that his teammate has shed the controlled, almost flawless ease that had for so long made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris kept a impressive level of composure all along, insisting even in the face of challenges—like his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his gameplan and work every outing with the same relentless focus on specifics. It has paid off.

All the while, the team have worked hard to try to preserve a fair competition for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been a rather difficult process, most notably at Monza when the squad directed the Australian to surrender the runner-up spot to his teammate following he had fallen behind due to a delayed tire change. Some fans did not take well to what was seen as McLaren unnecessarily interfering with their drivers.

The championship leader has claimed victory in the previous pair of races, in Mexico and São Paulo, and was booed on the podium at each, leaving him unfazed. "Once you are on top, many individuals want to bring you down. They don't want to see you succeeding. I consider it a positive sign," he remarked.

"It makes me laugh. When I was on the winner's stage in Brazil, I really loved it. The experience was very enjoyable. At last you feel like you're doing something right.

"I don't mind, provided that I come out on top. As long as I feel like I am competing the correct way, which I feel like I am, as long as I feel like I am dedicating effort into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed with external opinions."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, must be mastered, and it is a circuit suited to the McLaren. It shares similarities with Canada and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, and low grip. They are the sole pair of tracks this season where McLaren have been unable to claim a single top-three finish, and Norris was cautious again about their prospects in Nevada. Still, his task in the short term is straightforward: finish in ahead of his teammate and the championship tally he requires will follow.

Friday Running Sees Mixed Results for Championship Contenders

Charles Leclerc led the times in first practice on what was still a dusty and very slippery surface. Alex Albon was runner-up, with Verstappen fourth, the McLaren ace sixth, and Piastri eighth. During the more representative night running of second practice, Norris was quickest from the Silver Arrows of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri down in fourteenth; though, the session lost almost all of the final 20 minutes of running to inspect a reported loose drain cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a dislodged manhole struck Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, severely damaging it and leading to the practice to be aborted.

The German Team Confirm Stake Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their boss Toto Wolff has divested a 15% stake in his investment firm, representing a five percent ownership in the team, to American billionaire George Kurtz. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Wolff will remain as boss and could earn up to £230m from the sale, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57 billion, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.