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Despite the hype surrounding the Sin City Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a level head about his chances 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 49 points, with only up to 83 points available across the remaining trio of races. But, after pulling off a remarkable recovery from 34 points behind Piastri following the Zandvoort race in August, Norris is focused on executing with the methodical approach that lifted him to the top of the standings.

"It can easily go the opposite way once more as much as I hope it doesn't," he stated. "That's racing, as we all know. You can also have luck. Other times you end up unlucky. Whatever it may be. There's really not worth getting excited or thinking about it. I still view it as something that's quite distant."

Norris has found his best form at a crucial moment—having struggled with the vehicle in the opening half of the campaign—while his teammate has lost the disciplined, almost perfect composure that had for so long made him seem to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris maintained a impressive level of equanimity throughout, asserting even in the face of setbacks—like his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his gameplan and work each session with the same unwavering focus on specifics. This approach has paid off.

All the while, McLaren have gone to no little effort to attempt to maintain a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been something of difficult experience, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad directed the Australian to cede second place to his teammate following he had fallen behind because of a delayed tire change. Some fans did not take well to what was considered the team unnecessarily interfering with their competitors.

The championship leader has won the previous pair of races, in Mexico City and Brazil, and was jeered on the winner's rostrum at each, yet he remained unfazed. "Once you are leading, a lot of people try to undermine you. They do not want to see you winning. I see it as a positive sign," he said.

"It makes me laugh. While standing on the winner's stage in Brazil, I truly loved it. It was very enjoyable. At last you feel like you are achieving success.

"I don't mind, provided that I win. As long as I believe I am competing the right way, and I think that's the case, as long as I feel like I'm putting hard work into being who I am and those kinds of things, then I am not concerned about the rest of it."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, must be mastered, and it is a circuit suited to the McLaren. The layout has characteristics with Canada and Baku: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and slippery surfaces. They are the sole pair of circuits this season where McLaren have failed to secure a single podium place, and the leader was circumspect again about their chances this weekend. Still, his objective in the immediate future is straightforward: finish in ahead of Piastri and the championship tally he needs will come.

Practice Sees Mixed Results for Title Contenders

Charles Leclerc topped the leaderboard in FP1 on what was still a dusty and extremely slippery track. The Williams racer was runner-up, with the Red Bull star in fourth, the McLaren ace in P6, and Piastri eighth. In the more representative evening session of second practice, the Briton was fastest from the Mercedes of the Italian rookie, with Piastri down in fourteenth; however, the session lost nearly the final 20 minutes of running to inspect a reported loose drain cover at turn 17.

The issue is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the first Nevada GP staged in 2023, a loose drain cover smashed into the Ferrari, heavily damaging it and causing the session to be ended.

The German Team Confirm Ownership Transaction

Mercedes have revealed that their boss Toto Wolff has sold a 15% stake in his investment firm, equating to a five percent ownership in the squad, to American billionaire the cybersecurity magnate. Kurtz is the CEO and founder of the digital protection firm CrowdStrike. Wolff will stay on as boss and could earn as much as £230 million from the sale, with Mercedes having been appraised at £4.57bn, a record for an F1 team.