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Amid all excitement around the Sin City Grand Prix, Lando Norris is keeping a calm demeanor about his chances of securing his maiden world title.

The British driver presently has a 24-point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by 49 points, with only a maximum of 83 points available across the remaining trio of events. However, after pulling off a remarkable comeback from 34 points behind Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in the summer, Norris is focused on executing with the methodical approach that lifted him to the top of the championship.

"Things can quickly go the opposite way once more even though I hope it doesn't," he stated. "That's racing, you know. Sometimes you also have luck. You can end up unlucky. No matter what happens. It's no point becoming overjoyed or dwelling on it. I still do see it as a goal that remains distant."

The 26-year-old has discovered his peak performance at a crucial juncture—having struggled with the vehicle in the opening half of the season—at the same time that his teammate has lost the disciplined, almost perfect composure that had for so long made him appear to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris maintained a impressive level of composure all along, insisting despite setbacks—such as his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would stick to his gameplan and work each session with the identical relentless focus on specifics. It has paid off.

Meanwhile, McLaren have worked hard to try to maintain a fair competition for their pair of racers, and it has at times been something of torturous experience, most notably at Monza when the team directed the Australian to surrender the runner-up spot to Norris after he had lost the spot due to a slow pit stop. Some fans did not take well to what was seen as the team unnecessarily interfering with their competitors.

Norris has claimed victory in the previous pair of races, in Mexico City and Brazil, and was booed on the podium at both, leaving him unfazed. "When you're on top, a lot of people want to bring you down. They do not like seeing you winning. I consider it a positive sign," he remarked.

"It amuses me. While standing on the podium in Interlagos, I truly loved it. The experience was very enjoyable. You finally sense that you're doing success.

"I don't mind, provided that I come out on top. If I believe I'm doing it the right way, which I feel like I am, as long as I am confident I am dedicating effort into remaining true to myself and similar principles, then I am not concerned with external opinions."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be mastered, and it is not a track suited to the McLaren. It shares characteristics with Canada and Azerbaijan: low downforce, cool temperatures, and low grip. They are the only two circuits in the current championship where McLaren have been unable to secure a single top-three finish, and the leader was circumspect once more about their prospects in Nevada. Yet, his task in the short term is simple: finish in front of his teammate and the points he needs will come.

Practice Sees Mixed Results for Title Rivals

The Ferrari driver topped the times in FP1 on what was remained a sandy and very slippery surface. Alex Albon was second, with Verstappen in fourth, Norris in P6, and the Australian eighth. During the more representative evening session of FP2, Norris was quickest from the Silver Arrows of the Italian rookie, with Piastri 14th; though, the session lost almost all of the final 20 minutes of track time to check a reported loose manhole cover at turn 17.

This problem is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a dislodged drain cover struck Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, heavily damaging it and leading to the practice to be ended.

Mercedes Announce Stake Sale

Mercedes have revealed that their team principal the Austrian executive has sold a 15% stake in his investment firm, equating to a 5% share in the team, to American billionaire George Kurtz. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the digital protection firm the tech giant. The team principal will remain as team principal and may receive as much as £230 million from the sale, with Mercedes having been appraised at £4.57bn, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.