🔗 Share this article

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

Norris currently has a 24-point lead 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 events. However, after staging a extraordinary comeback from 34 points behind his teammate after the Zandvoort race in the summer, Norris is focused on performing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the lead of the championship.

"Things can easily go the opposite way again even though I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's motorsport, as we all know. You can get lucky. You can end up unfortunate. Whatever it may be. There's really no point becoming overjoyed or dwelling on it. I continue to do see it as a goal that's quite far away."

The 26-year-old has discovered his peak performance at a crucial moment—after difficulties with the vehicle in the opening half of the season—at the same time that Piastri has shed the disciplined, almost flawless composure that previously made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Importantly, Norris kept a remarkable level of equanimity all along, insisting despite setbacks—like his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his gameplan and approach each session with the same relentless focus on specifics. It has yielded results.

Meanwhile, the team have gone to no little effort to attempt to preserve a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been something of difficult process, most notably at Monza when the team directed the Australian to cede the runner-up spot to his teammate following he had lost the spot because of a slow pit stop. Certain spectators did not take well to what was considered McLaren needlessly manipulating their drivers.

Norris has claimed victory in the previous pair of grands prix, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was booed on the winner's rostrum at both, leaving him unmoved. "When you're on top, many people try to bring you down. They don't like seeing you succeeding. I see it as a positive sign," he said.

"It makes me laugh. While standing on the winner's stage in Brazil, I really enjoyed it. The experience was quite enjoyable. At last you sense that you are achieving something right.

"I don't mind, provided that I come out on top. As long as I believe I am competing the correct way, and I think I am, as long as I feel like I am dedicating effort into remaining true to myself and similar principles, then I'm not too fussed with the rest of it."

Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be conquered, and it is not a track ideal for the McLaren. The layout has similarities with Canada and Baku: low downforce, cool temperatures, and slippery surfaces. These are the sole pair of circuits this season where the papaya squad have failed to secure at least one top-three finish, and the leader was cautious again about their prospects this weekend. Yet, his objective in the short term is simple: end the race in front of his teammate and the championship tally he requires will come.

Practice Shows Mixed Results for Title Contenders

The Ferrari driver topped the leaderboard in FP1 on what was remained a dusty and extremely slippery track. The Williams racer was runner-up, with the Red Bull star fourth, the McLaren ace sixth, and the Australian eighth. During the more indicative evening session of FP2, the Briton was fastest ahead of the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri down in fourteenth; though, the practice lost nearly the last third of running to check a suspected loose manhole cover at the penultimate corner.

The issue is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the first Las Vegas GP held in 2023, a dislodged drain cover smashed into the Ferrari, severely damaging it and causing the practice to be ended.

The German Team Announce Stake Transaction

Mercedes have revealed that their team principal Toto Wolff has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, equating to a 5% share in the team, to American billionaire George Kurtz. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company the tech giant. The team principal will remain as boss and could earn up to £230 million from the sale, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57bn, a new high for an F1 team.