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Despite all hype surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is keeping a calm demeanor about his chances of securing his first world title.

The British driver currently holds a 24-point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only up to 83 points up for grabs across the final three races. However, after pulling off a remarkable recovery from a significant deficit Piastri following the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is concentrating on executing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the lead of the championship.

"Things can easily turn the opposite way again even though I hope it doesn't," he stated. "That's motorsport, as we all know. You can get lucky. Other times you end up unfortunate. No matter what happens. It's not worth becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I still do see it as something that's quite far away."

The 26-year-old has discovered his best form at a crucial juncture—having struggled with the vehicle in the opening half of the campaign—at the same time that his teammate has lost the controlled, nearly perfect composure that previously made him appear to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris kept a remarkable level of equanimity all along, insisting even in the face of setbacks—such as his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his gameplan and approach each session with the same relentless focus on specifics. It has paid off.

Meanwhile, McLaren have worked hard to attempt to preserve a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has at times been a rather torturous experience, especially at Monza when the squad directed the Australian to surrender second place to Norris following he had fallen behind due to a slow pit stop. Some fans were unhappy with what was seen as McLaren unnecessarily manipulating their competitors.

The championship leader has claimed victory in the last two races, in Mexico and São Paulo, and was booed on the winner's rostrum at both, leaving him unfazed. "Once you are leading, a lot of people want to bring you down. They don't like seeing you winning. I see it as a positive sign," he remarked.

"It just makes me laugh. While standing on the winner's stage in Brazil, I truly loved it. The experience was quite enjoyable. You finally feel like you are achieving something right.

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

Las Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be conquered, and it is a circuit suited to the British team. It shares characteristics with Montreal and Baku: low downforce, cool temperatures, and low grip. They are the sole pair of circuits in the current championship where McLaren have failed to secure a single top-three finish, and Norris was cautious again about their prospects in Nevada. Still, his objective in the short term is simple: end the race in front of his teammate and the championship tally he requires will follow.

Practice Sees Varied Outcomes for Championship Contenders

The Ferrari driver led the leaderboard in first practice on what was remained a sandy and very low-grip surface. The Williams racer was runner-up, with Verstappen fourth, the McLaren ace sixth, and the Australian in eighth. During the more representative night running of second practice, the Briton was fastest from the Silver Arrows of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri 14th; however, the practice lost nearly the last third of track time to inspect a suspected loose manhole cover at turn 17.

This problem is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP held in 2023, a loose drain cover smashed into the Ferrari, severely harming it and leading to the practice to be ended.

The German Team Announce Stake Transaction

The eight-time constructors' champions have revealed that their boss the Austrian executive has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, representing a 5% share in the squad, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. The investor is the CEO and founder of the digital protection firm CrowdStrike. The team principal will remain as team principal and could earn as much as £230 million from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57bn, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.