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Despite all hype surrounding the Sin City Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is keeping a calm demeanor regarding his chances of securing his first drivers' championship.

Norris presently has a two-dozen point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only up to 83 points up for grabs across the remaining trio of races. But, after staging a remarkable recovery from a significant deficit Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is concentrating on executing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the top of the championship.

"It can easily go the opposite way once more even though I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's motorsport, as we all know. Sometimes you get lucky. You can end up unlucky. Whatever it may be. There's really not worth becoming overjoyed or dwelling on it. I continue to view it as something that's quite far away."

Norris has discovered his best form at a critical juncture—after difficulties with the vehicle in the opening half of the campaign—at the same time that his teammate has shed the controlled, almost perfect ease that previously made him seem to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris kept a remarkable level of equanimity throughout, insisting despite challenges—such as his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his gameplan and work each session with the same unwavering attention to detail. It has yielded results.

All the while, the team have worked hard to try to preserve a fair competition for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been a rather difficult experience, especially at Monza when the team directed Piastri to cede second place to his teammate after he had lost the spot due to a slow pit stop. Some fans were unhappy with what was considered McLaren needlessly manipulating their competitors.

Norris has won the previous pair of grands prix, in Mexico and São Paulo, and was booed on the podium at each, yet he remained unfazed. "Once you are leading, a lot of people try to undermine you. They don't want to see you winning. I consider it a good thing," he remarked.

"It makes me laugh. While standing on the winner's stage in Brazil, I really loved it. It was very satisfying. You finally feel like you are achieving something right.

"I don't mind, provided that I win. As long as I believe I am competing the right way, and I think I am, so long as I am confident I am dedicating hard work into being who I am and similar principles, then I am not concerned about the rest of it."

Vegas, on the other hand, 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 low grip. They are the only two tracks in the current championship where McLaren have failed to claim at least one top-three finish, and the leader 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 championship tally he requires will come.

Practice Sees Mixed Outcomes for Championship Contenders

The Ferrari driver topped the times in first practice on what was remained a sandy and very slippery track. The Williams racer was runner-up, with the Red Bull star fourth, Norris sixth, and Piastri eighth. In the more indicative night running of FP2, Norris was quickest from the Silver Arrows of the Italian rookie, with his teammate down in fourteenth; though, the session was interrupted for nearly the last third of running to check a reported unsecured drain cover at the penultimate corner.

The issue is taken seriously on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Nevada GP staged in 2023, a dislodged manhole struck the Ferrari, heavily harming it and leading to the session to be ended.

Mercedes Confirm Ownership Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have revealed that their team principal Toto Wolff has sold 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 CrowdStrike. Wolff will stay on as boss and may receive as much as £230 million from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been appraised at £4.57 billion, a record for an F1 team.