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

Norris presently holds a 24-point advantage over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by 49 points, with just a maximum of eighty-three points up for grabs across the final three races. However, after pulling off a remarkable comeback from a significant deficit his teammate following the Zandvoort race in August, Norris is concentrating on executing with the methodical approach that lifted him to the top of the championship.

"Things can quickly turn the opposite way again as much as I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's motorsport, as we all know. Sometimes you also have luck. You can also be unlucky. No matter what happens. It's no point becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I continue to do see it as a goal that's quite distant."

Norris has found his best form at a crucial juncture—after difficulties with the car in the opening half of the season—at the same time that Piastri has lost the controlled, nearly perfect ease that previously made him appear to be a champion in waiting. Importantly, Norris maintained a remarkable level of composure throughout, asserting even in the face of setbacks—like his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his gameplan and work each session with the same unwavering attention to detail. This approach has yielded results.

Meanwhile, McLaren have gone to no little effort to try to maintain a level playing field for their pair of racers, and it has on occasion been something of torturous experience, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad directed Piastri to surrender second place to Norris after he had lost the spot because of a slow pit stop. Some fans were unhappy with what was considered McLaren unnecessarily manipulating their competitors.

The championship leader has claimed victory in the previous pair of grands prix, in Mexico and Brazil, and was jeered on the winner's rostrum at both, yet he remained unfazed. "When you're on top, a lot of people want to bring you down. They don't want to see you winning. I consider it a good thing," he remarked.

"It just makes me laugh. While standing on the winner's stage in Brazil, I truly enjoyed it. It was very satisfying. You finally feel like you are achieving success.

"I don't mind, as long as I win. If I feel like I am competing the right manner, and I think that's the case, as long as I feel like I'm putting effort into remaining true to myself and similar principles, then I'm not too fussed about the rest of it."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, needs to be mastered, and it is a circuit suited to the McLaren. The layout has characteristics with Canada and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and low grip. These are the sole pair of circuits this season where McLaren have been unable to claim a single top-three finish, and the leader was circumspect once more about their chances in Nevada. Still, his task in the immediate future is simple: end the race in ahead of his teammate and the championship tally he requires will follow.

Practice Sees Mixed Outcomes for Championship Contenders

The Ferrari driver led the times in first practice on what was remained a sandy and extremely slippery track. The Williams racer was second, with Verstappen fourth, Norris sixth, and Piastri eighth. In the more indicative night running of FP2, Norris was quickest ahead of the Mercedes of the Italian rookie, with Piastri down in fourteenth; though, the practice was interrupted for almost all of the final 20 minutes of track time to check a reported loose drain cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the first Nevada GP held in 2023, a dislodged drain cover smashed into Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, severely damaging it and causing the session to be ended.

The German Team Confirm Ownership Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their boss Toto Wolff has sold a 15% stake in his holding company, equating to a 5% share in the team, to American billionaire the cybersecurity magnate. The investor is the CEO and founder of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Wolff 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 F1 team.