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Amid the excitement around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a calm demeanor about his chances of securing his first drivers' championship.

Norris presently holds a 24-point lead over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with just a maximum of 83 points up for grabs across the final three events. But, after staging a extraordinary comeback from a significant deficit Piastri following the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is concentrating on performing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the top of the standings.

"It can quickly turn the opposite way again as much as I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's racing, as we all know. You can also have luck. Other times you end up unlucky. No matter what happens. There's really no point getting excited or dwelling on it. I continue to do see it as something that's quite far away."

The 26-year-old has discovered his peak performance at a crucial juncture—having struggled with the vehicle in the first part of the campaign—at the same time that his teammate has shed the disciplined, nearly flawless ease that previously made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris kept a remarkable level of composure all along, asserting despite challenges—like his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his gameplan and approach every outing with the identical relentless focus on specifics. This approach has paid off.

All the while, the team have gone to no little effort to attempt to maintain a level playing field for their pair of racers, and it has on occasion been something of torturous process, especially at Monza when the squad directed the Australian to cede the runner-up spot to Norris after he had fallen behind because of a slow pit stop. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was considered 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 winner's rostrum at each, yet he remained unfazed. "When you're leading, many individuals try to bring you down. They do not like seeing you winning. I consider it a positive sign," he said.

"It just makes me laugh. When I was on the podium in Interlagos, I truly loved it. It was quite enjoyable. You finally feel like you're doing something right.

"I don't mind, provided that I come out on top. As long as I believe I'm doing it the right way, which I feel like I am, so long as I feel like I'm putting effort into remaining true to myself and similar principles, then I'm not too fussed with the rest of it."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, must be mastered, and it is a circuit suited to the McLaren. The layout has similarities with Montreal and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. They are the sole pair of tracks in the current championship where McLaren have been unable to claim at least one top-three finish, and Norris was cautious again about their chances in Nevada. Still, his task in the short term is straightforward: end the race in front of Piastri and the points he requires will come.

Friday Running Shows Varied Outcomes for Title Contenders

Charles Leclerc led the times in FP1 on what was remained a dusty and very low-grip surface. Alex Albon was runner-up, with the Red Bull star fourth, Norris sixth, and Piastri in eighth. In the more representative night running of FP2, the Briton was quickest ahead of the Mercedes of the Italian rookie, with his teammate down in fourteenth; however, the session was interrupted for nearly the last third of running to inspect a reported loose drain cover at the penultimate corner.

The issue is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a loose drain cover struck Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, heavily damaging it and leading to the practice to be aborted.

Mercedes Confirm Stake Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their boss the Austrian executive has sold a 15% stake in his holding company, 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 CrowdStrike. The team principal will stay on as boss and may receive up to £230 million from the sale, with Mercedes having been valued at £4.57bn, a new high for an Formula 1 constructor.