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Despite the hype around the Sin City Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a calm demeanor about his prospects of securing his first world title.

The British driver presently has a 24-point advantage over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only up to 83 points available across the final three events. However, after staging a remarkable recovery from 34 points behind his teammate following the Dutch Grand Prix in the summer, Norris is focused on executing with the clinical precision that propelled him to the lead of the championship.

"It can quickly go in the other direction once more even though I don't want it to," he stated. "That's motorsport, as we all know. You can get lucky. Other times you end up unfortunate. Whatever it may be. There's really not worth getting excited or dwelling on it. I continue to do see it as a goal that remains far away."

The 26-year-old has found his best form at a critical moment—after difficulties with the car in the opening half of the season—at the same time that his teammate has lost the controlled, nearly perfect ease that had for so long made him appear to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris maintained a impressive level of composure throughout, asserting even in the face of challenges—such as his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his strategy and work each session with the same relentless focus on specifics. This approach has yielded results.

Meanwhile, McLaren have worked hard to attempt to maintain a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has at times been a rather difficult process, especially at Monza when the team instructed Piastri to surrender the runner-up spot to Norris after he had lost the spot because of a slow pit stop. Some fans did not take well to what was seen as the team unnecessarily interfering with their competitors.

The championship leader has claimed victory in the last two grands prix, in Mexico and Brazil, and was jeered on the podium at each, yet he remained unfazed. "When you're on top, many individuals try to bring you down. They do not want to see you succeeding. I see it as a positive sign," he remarked.

"It just makes me laugh. While standing on the winner's stage in Brazil, I truly enjoyed it. The experience was quite satisfying. You finally feel like you are achieving success.

"I don't mind, provided that I come out on top. As long as I feel like I'm doing it the right manner, which I feel like that's the case, so long as I feel like I am dedicating hard work into remaining true to myself and similar principles, then I am not concerned with the rest of it."

Vegas, meanwhile, must be mastered, and it is a circuit ideal for the British team. The layout has similarities with Montreal and Baku: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and slippery surfaces. These are the only two circuits this season where the papaya squad have been unable to claim a single podium place, and the leader was cautious again about their chances in Nevada. Yet, his objective in the short term is simple: end the race in front of Piastri and the championship tally he needs will come.

Practice Shows Mixed Results for Championship Contenders

The Ferrari driver topped the times in FP1 on what was remained a sandy and extremely slippery surface. The Williams racer was runner-up, with the Red Bull star in fourth, the McLaren ace in P6, and Piastri in eighth. In the more indicative evening session of second practice, the Briton was quickest ahead of the Silver Arrows of the Italian rookie, with his teammate down in fourteenth; though, the practice lost nearly the final 20 minutes of running to inspect a reported unsecured drain cover at turn 17.

The issue is taken seriously on a temporary track where, at the first Las Vegas GP held in 2023, a dislodged manhole struck Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, heavily harming it and causing the practice to be aborted.

Mercedes Confirm Ownership Sale

Mercedes have confirmed that their boss the Austrian executive has divested a 15% stake in his investment firm, equating to a five percent ownership in the squad, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. Kurtz is the CEO and founder of the digital protection firm the tech giant. Wolff will stay on as team principal and could earn as much as £230 million from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been appraised at £4.57bn, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.