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Amid all excitement surrounding the Sin City Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a level head about his chances of securing his maiden drivers' championship.

Norris currently holds a 24-point lead 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. However, after staging a extraordinary comeback from 34 points behind Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is concentrating on executing with the clinical precision that propelled him to the lead of the standings.

"It can quickly go the opposite way once more even though I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's racing, as we all know. You can also have luck. Other times you also be unfortunate. Whatever it may be. There's really not worth getting excited or dwelling on it. I still do see it as something that's quite far away."

The 26-year-old has found his best form at a crucial juncture—having struggled with the vehicle in the opening half of the campaign—while his teammate has shed the controlled, almost flawless composure that previously made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris kept a remarkable level of composure all along, asserting despite challenges—like his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his gameplan and approach every outing with the identical unwavering attention to detail. It has yielded results.

Meanwhile, the team have worked hard to attempt to preserve a fair competition for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been something of difficult experience, most notably at Monza when the squad instructed Piastri to surrender second place to Norris after he had fallen behind due to a slow pit stop. Certain spectators did not take well to what was seen as the team unnecessarily interfering with their competitors.

Norris has claimed victory in the last two races, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was booed on the podium at each, yet he remained unmoved. "When you're on top, a lot of people try to undermine you. They do not want to see you winning. I consider it a positive sign," he remarked.

"It just makes me laugh. When I was on the podium in Interlagos, I really enjoyed it. The experience was quite satisfying. At last you feel like you're doing success.

"I don't mind, as long as I win. If I believe I am competing the correct manner, and I think I am, so long as I feel like I'm putting hard work into being who I am and similar principles, then I'm not too fussed about external opinions."

Vegas, meanwhile, must be conquered, and it is a circuit suited to the McLaren. The layout has similarities with Canada and Azerbaijan: low downforce, cool temperatures, and low grip. These are the only two circuits in the current championship where McLaren have been unable to claim a single podium place, and the leader was cautious again about their chances in Nevada. Yet, his task in the immediate future is straightforward: end the race in front of Piastri and the points he requires will come.

Practice Sees Mixed Outcomes for Championship Contenders

Charles Leclerc topped the times in first practice on what was remained a sandy and extremely low-grip track. The Williams racer was second, with the Red Bull star fourth, Norris sixth, and the Australian eighth. In the more indicative evening session of FP2, the Briton was fastest from the Silver Arrows of the Italian rookie, with Piastri 14th; however, the session lost almost all of the final 20 minutes of running to check a suspected loose manhole cover at turn 17.

This problem is taken seriously on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Nevada GP staged in 2023, a dislodged manhole smashed into Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, heavily harming it and causing the session to be ended.

The German Team Confirm Stake Sale

Mercedes have confirmed that their boss the Austrian executive has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, representing a 5% share in the squad, to US tycoon George Kurtz. Kurtz is the CEO and founder of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. The team principal will stay on as team principal and may receive as much as £230m from the sale, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57bn, a record for an F1 team.