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Despite the hype surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a level head regarding his prospects of securing his first world title.

Norris currently holds a two-dozen point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with just up to 83 points up for grabs across the final three events. But, after staging a remarkable comeback from a significant deficit Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is focused on executing with the methodical approach that lifted him to the lead of the standings.

"It can quickly go in the other direction again as much as I don't want it to," he commented. "That's racing, you know. You can also have luck. Other times you also be unfortunate. Whatever it may be. There's really no point becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I still do see it as something that remains far away."

The 26-year-old has discovered his peak performance at a critical moment—having struggled with the vehicle in the opening half of the campaign—while Piastri has lost the controlled, nearly flawless composure that previously made him appear to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris maintained a remarkable level of equanimity all along, asserting despite setbacks—like his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would adhere to his gameplan and approach each session with the identical relentless attention to detail. This approach has paid off.

Meanwhile, McLaren have gone to no little effort to try to maintain a fair competition for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been something of difficult experience, especially at the Italian Grand Prix when the team directed Piastri to cede second place to his teammate after he had fallen behind due to a delayed tire change. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was considered the team unnecessarily manipulating their competitors.

The championship leader has won the previous pair of grands prix, in Mexico and São Paulo, and was booed on the winner's rostrum at both, leaving him unfazed. "When you're on top, a lot of people try to undermine you. They do not want to see you succeeding. I see it as a positive sign," he said.

"It just amuses me. When I was on the podium in Brazil, I really loved it. The experience was quite satisfying. At last you sense that you're doing something right.

"It doesn't bother me, as long as I win. If I believe I am competing the correct manner, which I feel like that's the case, so long as I feel like I am dedicating hard work into being who I am and those kinds of things, then I am not concerned with external opinions."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be conquered, and it is a circuit ideal for the British team. The layout has characteristics with Canada and Azerbaijan: low downforce, chilly conditions, and low grip. These are the sole pair of tracks this season where the papaya squad have failed to claim at least one podium place, and Norris was cautious again about their chances this weekend. Still, his task in the immediate future is straightforward: finish in ahead of his teammate and the points he needs will follow.

Practice Shows Mixed Results for Championship Contenders

The Ferrari driver topped the times in FP1 on what was still a dusty and extremely low-grip track. Alex Albon was second, with Verstappen in fourth, Norris in P6, and Piastri in eighth. In the more indicative night running of second practice, Norris was quickest ahead of the Silver Arrows of the Italian rookie, with Piastri 14th; however, the practice was interrupted for nearly the final 20 minutes of running to check a reported loose drain cover at turn 17.

This problem is taken seriously on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Nevada GP staged in 2023, a loose drain cover struck Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, severely harming it and leading to the session to be ended.

The German Team Confirm Ownership Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their team principal Toto Wolff has sold a fifteen percent share in his investment firm, representing a 5% share in the team, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company the tech giant. The team principal will stay on as team principal and may receive as much as £230 million from the sale, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57 billion, a record for an F1 team.