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Amid the hype surrounding the Sin City Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is keeping a level head about his chances of securing his maiden drivers' championship.

The British driver presently has a two-dozen point lead over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with just a maximum of 83 points available across the final three events. But, after staging a remarkable comeback from a significant deficit his teammate after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is focused on executing with the clinical precision that propelled him to the top of the championship.

"It can quickly go in the other direction again as much as I don't want it to," he commented. "That's motorsport, as we all know. Sometimes you also have luck. You can also be unfortunate. No matter what happens. There's really no point getting excited or dwelling on it. I continue to do see it as a goal that remains far away."

Norris has found his peak performance at a crucial juncture—after difficulties with the vehicle in the opening half of the campaign—while his teammate has lost the disciplined, nearly perfect composure that previously made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris maintained a impressive level of equanimity throughout, asserting despite setbacks—like his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would stick to his strategy and work every outing with the identical unwavering attention to detail. This approach has paid off.

Meanwhile, McLaren have gone to no little effort to try to maintain a level playing field for their pair of racers, and it has at times been something of difficult process, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad instructed Piastri to cede second place to his teammate after he had lost the spot due to a delayed tire change. Some fans did not take well to what was considered McLaren needlessly interfering with their drivers.

Norris has claimed victory in the last two grands prix, in Mexico City and Brazil, and was booed on the winner's rostrum at each, yet he remained unfazed. "When you're leading, a lot of individuals try to undermine you. They don't want to see you succeeding. I consider it a positive sign," he remarked.

"It makes me laugh. When I was on the winner's stage in Brazil, I truly loved it. The experience was quite satisfying. You finally feel like you're doing something right.

"I don't mind, as long as I win. If 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 being who I am and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed about the rest of it."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, needs to be conquered, and it is not a track ideal for the McLaren. The layout has characteristics with Montreal and Baku: low downforce, cool temperatures, and low grip. They are the only two circuits in the current championship where the papaya squad have failed to claim a single top-three finish, and the leader was circumspect once more about their chances in Nevada. Yet, his objective in the short term is simple: finish in front of his teammate and the championship tally he needs will follow.

Friday Running Shows Mixed Results for Championship Contenders

Charles Leclerc topped the times in first practice on what was remained a dusty and extremely slippery track. The Williams racer was second, with the Red Bull star in fourth, Norris sixth, and the Australian in eighth. In the more indicative night running of FP2, Norris was fastest ahead of the Mercedes of the Italian rookie, with his teammate down in fourteenth; though, the session was interrupted for almost all of the final 20 minutes of running to inspect a suspected loose manhole cover at turn 17.

The issue is taken seriously on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a loose drain cover struck Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, severely damaging it and causing the practice to be ended.

Mercedes Confirm Ownership Transaction

Mercedes have confirmed that their boss Toto Wolff has sold a 15% stake in his investment firm, 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 the tech giant. Wolff will remain as boss and could earn as much as £230 million from the sale, with the Brackley-based outfit having been appraised at £4.57bn, a new high for an Formula 1 constructor.