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Amid all excitement around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is keeping a calm demeanor regarding his prospects of securing his first world title.

The British driver currently holds a two-dozen point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with just a maximum of 83 points available across the final three races. But, after staging a remarkable comeback from a significant deficit Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is concentrating on performing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the lead of the standings.

"It can quickly go in the other direction again even though I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's motorsport, as we all know. Sometimes you also have luck. Other times you end up unfortunate. Whatever it may be. It's not worth getting excited or dwelling on it. I still view it as a goal that remains 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 lost the controlled, nearly perfect ease that previously made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Importantly, Norris kept a remarkable level of equanimity all along, asserting even in the face of challenges—such as his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his strategy and approach every outing with the identical relentless attention to detail. It has yielded results.

Meanwhile, the team have worked hard to attempt to maintain a level playing field for their pair of racers, and it has on occasion been a rather difficult process, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the team directed the Australian to surrender second place to Norris after he had fallen behind due to a delayed tire change. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was seen as the team needlessly manipulating their competitors.

Norris has claimed victory in the last two grands prix, in Mexico and São Paulo, and was booed on the podium at each, yet he remained unfazed. "When you're on top, a lot of people want to undermine you. They do not want to see you succeeding. I see it as a positive sign," he said.

"It amuses me. While standing on the podium in Interlagos, I really loved it. The experience was quite enjoyable. At last you sense that you're doing success.

"It doesn't bother me, provided that I win. As long as I feel like I'm doing it the right way, which I feel like I am, so long as I am confident I am dedicating effort into remaining true to myself and similar principles, then I am not concerned about external opinions."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, needs to be mastered, and it is not a track suited to the British team. The layout has similarities with Canada and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, and low grip. These are the only two tracks this season where McLaren have failed to secure a single top-three finish, and Norris was circumspect once more about their chances this weekend. Still, his task in the short term is straightforward: end the race in ahead of Piastri and the points he requires will follow.

Friday Running Shows Mixed Outcomes for Championship Contenders

Charles Leclerc topped the times in first practice on what was still a dusty and very low-grip track. The Williams racer was second, with Verstappen in fourth, the McLaren ace sixth, and Piastri in eighth. In the more indicative night running of second practice, the Briton was fastest ahead of the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri down in fourteenth; however, the session lost nearly the final 20 minutes of track time to check a suspected loose drain cover at turn 17.

This problem is taken seriously on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Nevada GP held in 2023, a loose drain cover smashed into Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, severely harming it and leading to the practice to be ended.

Mercedes Confirm Ownership Transaction

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their boss Toto Wolff has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, representing a five percent ownership in the team, to American billionaire the cybersecurity magnate. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the digital protection firm the tech giant. Wolff will stay on as boss and may receive up to £230m from the sale, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57 billion, a new high for an F1 team.