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Despite all hype around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is keeping a calm demeanor regarding his chances of securing his first world title.

The British driver currently has a two-dozen point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with just up to 83 points available across the final three races. But, after staging a remarkable recovery from 34 points behind his teammate following the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is focused on executing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the top of the standings.

"It can easily go the opposite way once more even though I don't want it to," he commented. "That's racing, as we all know. Sometimes you also have luck. Other times you also be unfortunate. No matter what happens. It's no point becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I still do see it as something that remains distant."

The 26-year-old has discovered his best form at a crucial juncture—after difficulties with the car in the opening half of the season—while his teammate has shed the controlled, almost flawless ease that previously made him appear to be a future title winner. Importantly, Norris maintained a impressive level of equanimity all along, insisting even in the face of challenges—like his retirement from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his gameplan and work every outing with the identical unwavering focus on specifics. This approach has yielded results.

All the while, McLaren have worked hard to try to preserve a level playing field for their pair of racers, and it has on occasion been a rather torturous process, most notably at Monza when the team directed the Australian to cede the runner-up spot to Norris after he had fallen behind due to a delayed tire change. Some fans were unhappy with what was considered McLaren needlessly manipulating their competitors.

The championship leader has claimed victory in the last two races, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was booed on the winner's rostrum at each, yet he remained unfazed. "Once you are on top, many people try to bring you down. They don't like seeing you succeeding. I consider it a good thing," he remarked.

"It just makes me laugh. While standing on the podium in Interlagos, I truly enjoyed it. The experience was very satisfying. At last you sense that you're doing something right.

"It doesn't bother me, as long as I win. If I feel like I'm doing it the correct manner, and I think I am, so long as I feel like I am dedicating hard work into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed with the rest of it."

Vegas, meanwhile, must be conquered, and it is a circuit suited to the British team. The layout has characteristics with Canada and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, and low grip. These are the sole pair of circuits in the current championship where McLaren have failed to claim a single top-three finish, and Norris was cautious once more about their prospects in Nevada. Still, his objective in the short term is simple: end the race in ahead of Piastri and the points he needs will come.

Friday Running Shows Varied Results for Championship Rivals

Charles Leclerc topped the leaderboard in first practice on what was remained a dusty and extremely slippery surface. Alex Albon was runner-up, with the Red Bull star fourth, Norris in P6, and the Australian in eighth. During the more indicative night running of second practice, Norris was fastest from the Mercedes of the Italian rookie, with Piastri down in fourteenth; however, the practice was interrupted for nearly the last third of running to check a suspected loose drain cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Nevada GP staged in 2023, a loose manhole smashed into Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, heavily harming it and leading to the session to be aborted.

The German Team Announce Stake Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their boss the Austrian executive has divested a fifteen percent share in his holding company, representing 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 stay on as team principal and may receive up to £230m from the sale, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57bn, a new high for an Formula 1 constructor.