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Despite the hype around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is keeping a calm demeanor about his chances of securing his first drivers' championship.

Norris currently holds a two-dozen point advantage over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by 49 points, with only up to 83 points available across the final three events. But, after staging a remarkable recovery from 34 points behind Piastri following the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is focused on performing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the lead of the championship.

"Things can quickly go in the other direction again even though I don't want it to," he stated. "That's motorsport, as we all know. You can also have luck. You can end up unlucky. No matter what happens. There's really not worth becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I continue to view it as a goal that's quite far away."

Norris has found his best form at a crucial moment—having struggled with the vehicle in the first part of the season—while his teammate has shed the disciplined, almost perfect composure that previously made him appear to be a champion in waiting. Importantly, Norris kept a impressive level of composure all along, asserting even in the face of challenges—like his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his strategy and work every outing with the same unwavering attention to detail. This approach has yielded results.

All the while, McLaren have gone to no little effort to try to preserve a fair competition for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been something of difficult process, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad directed Piastri to surrender the runner-up spot to Norris after he had fallen behind because of a slow pit stop. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was considered the team needlessly manipulating their competitors.

The championship leader has won the previous pair of races, in Mexico and São Paulo, and was booed on the podium at both, leaving him unmoved. "When you're on top, many individuals try to undermine you. They don't want to see you winning. I see it as a positive sign," he remarked.

"It amuses me. While standing on the podium in Interlagos, I really loved it. It was quite satisfying. At last you feel like you are achieving something right.

"It doesn't bother me, provided that I come out on top. As long as I believe I am competing the correct manner, which I feel like that's the case, so long as I am confident I'm putting effort into being who I am and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed with the rest of it."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be mastered, and it is a circuit suited to the McLaren. The layout has characteristics with Canada and Baku: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. They are the only two circuits this season where McLaren have failed to claim a single top-three finish, and the leader was cautious again about their chances in Nevada. Still, his objective in the short term is simple: finish in ahead of his teammate and the championship tally he needs will come.

Friday Running Shows Varied Results for Title Contenders

The Ferrari driver topped the leaderboard in first practice on what was still a dusty and very low-grip surface. Alex Albon was runner-up, with Verstappen in fourth, the McLaren ace sixth, and Piastri eighth. In the more representative evening session of second practice, the Briton was quickest ahead of the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with his teammate down in fourteenth; however, the session was interrupted for almost all of the last third of running to inspect a suspected loose drain cover at turn 17.

The issue is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP held in 2023, a loose manhole struck the Ferrari, severely harming it and causing the session to be aborted.

The German Team Confirm Ownership Sale

Mercedes have confirmed that their boss the Austrian executive has sold a 15% stake in his holding company, representing a five percent ownership in the squad, to American billionaire George Kurtz. The investor is the CEO and founder of the digital protection firm the tech giant. The team principal will remain as team principal and could earn as much as £230m from the sale, with Mercedes having been appraised at £4.57bn, a record for an F1 team.