🔗 Share this article

Amid all excitement around the Sin City Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is maintaining a level head about his chances of securing his first drivers' championship.

The British driver currently has a 24-point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by 49 points, with just up to 83 points available across the remaining trio of events. But, after pulling off a remarkable comeback from a significant deficit Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in the summer, Norris is concentrating on executing with the methodical approach that lifted him to the top of the standings.

"It can quickly turn in the other direction once more as much as I don't want it to," he commented. "That's motorsport, you know. Sometimes you also have luck. Other times you also be unfortunate. Whatever it may be. There's really not worth becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I still view it as a goal that's quite far away."

The 26-year-old has found his peak performance at a critical juncture—having struggled with the car in the opening half of the season—while his teammate has shed the disciplined, nearly perfect composure that previously made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris kept a impressive level of composure throughout, asserting even in the face of setbacks—such as his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his strategy and work each session with the same relentless attention to detail. This approach has paid off.

All the while, the team have worked hard to attempt to preserve a level playing field for their pair of racers, and it has on occasion been a rather difficult experience, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the team instructed the Australian to cede the runner-up spot to Norris after he had fallen behind due to a slow pit stop. Some fans did not take well to what was considered the team needlessly manipulating their competitors.

Norris has claimed victory in the previous pair of races, in Mexico and Brazil, and was booed on the winner's rostrum at both, yet he remained unfazed. "When you're on top, a lot of individuals want to bring you down. They do not want to see you winning. I consider it a positive sign," he remarked.

"It amuses me. When I was on the winner's stage in Brazil, I truly enjoyed it. It was quite enjoyable. At last you sense that you are achieving something right.

"I don't mind, as long as I come out on top. As long as I believe I'm doing it the right way, and I think I am, as long as I am confident I am dedicating hard work into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed with the rest of it."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, must be mastered, and it is a circuit ideal for the British team. The layout has characteristics with Canada and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, 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. Still, his task in the immediate future is straightforward: end the race in ahead of Piastri and the championship tally he needs will follow.

Practice Shows Mixed Results for Championship Rivals

Charles Leclerc led the leaderboard in FP1 on what was still a dusty and extremely low-grip track. The Williams racer was runner-up, with the Red Bull star in fourth, Norris sixth, and the Australian in eighth. During the more indicative night running of FP2, the Briton was fastest from the Silver Arrows of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri 14th; though, the session was interrupted for nearly the final 20 minutes of track time to check a suspected unsecured manhole cover at turn 17.

This problem is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the first Las Vegas GP held in 2023, a loose drain cover struck the Ferrari, heavily harming it and causing the practice to be ended.

The German Team Confirm Stake Sale

Mercedes have confirmed that their team principal Toto Wolff has sold a fifteen percent share in his holding company, representing 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. The team principal will remain as team principal and could earn as much as £230m from the sale, with the Brackley-based outfit having been appraised at £4.57bn, a new high for an Formula 1 constructor.