🔗 Share this article

Despite the hype surrounding the Sin City Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is keeping a level head regarding his chances of securing his maiden drivers' championship.

The British driver currently holds a 24-point advantage over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with only a maximum of 83 points up for grabs across the remaining trio of events. However, after pulling off a extraordinary recovery from a significant deficit his teammate following the Dutch Grand Prix in the summer, Norris is concentrating on executing with the clinical precision that propelled him to the top of the championship.

"It can easily turn in the other direction again as much as I don't want it to," he stated. "That's racing, as we all know. Sometimes you also have luck. You can also be unlucky. Whatever it may be. It's no point becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I still view it as a goal that remains distant."

The 26-year-old has discovered his peak performance at a critical juncture—having struggled with the vehicle in the opening half of the season—while Piastri has shed the controlled, nearly flawless ease that previously made him appear to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris maintained a impressive level of equanimity throughout, insisting despite setbacks—like his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would adhere to his gameplan and approach every outing with the identical unwavering attention to detail. This approach has paid off.

Meanwhile, the team have worked hard to try to preserve a fair competition for their pair of racers, and it has at times been something of difficult experience, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad instructed Piastri to surrender the runner-up spot to Norris following he had fallen behind because of a delayed tire change. Some fans did not take well to what was considered McLaren unnecessarily manipulating their competitors.

Norris has won the last two races, in Mexico and Brazil, and was jeered on the podium at both, leaving him unfazed. "Once you are on top, many individuals want to bring you down. They do not want to see you succeeding. I see it as a positive sign," he said.

"It amuses me. While standing on the winner's stage in Interlagos, I truly enjoyed it. It was very satisfying. You finally feel like you're doing something right.

"I don't mind, as long as I win. As long as I believe I am competing the correct manner, which I feel like I am, so long as I feel like I am dedicating effort into remaining true to myself and similar principles, then I'm not too fussed about the rest of it."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, must be conquered, and it is a circuit suited to the British team. It shares similarities with Montreal and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and low grip. These 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 prospects in Nevada. Still, his task in the short term is straightforward: finish in ahead of his teammate and the points he requires will come.

Friday Running Sees Varied Outcomes for Title Contenders

The Ferrari driver led the times in first practice on what was still a sandy and extremely low-grip surface. Alex Albon was runner-up, with the Red Bull star in fourth, the McLaren ace in P6, and Piastri eighth. During the more indicative night running of FP2, Norris was quickest ahead of the Silver Arrows of Kimi Antonelli, with his teammate down in fourteenth; however, the session lost nearly the final 20 minutes of track time to check a reported unsecured drain 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 dislodged manhole struck Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, severely harming it and causing the session to be ended.

Mercedes Announce Stake Transaction

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their boss Toto Wolff has sold a fifteen percent share in his investment firm, equating to a five percent ownership in the team, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the digital protection firm CrowdStrike. Wolff will stay on as team principal and could earn up to £230 million from the deal, with Mercedes having been valued at £4.57bn, a record for an F1 team.