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Amid all excitement surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a calm demeanor about his prospects of claiming his maiden world title.

The British driver currently holds a two-dozen point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with only a maximum of eighty-three points available across the remaining trio of events. However, after staging a remarkable recovery from 34 points behind his teammate after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is concentrating on performing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the top of the standings.

"Things can quickly turn the opposite way again as much as I don't want it to," he commented. "That's racing, as we all know. You can also have luck. You can also be unfortunate. Whatever it may be. There's really not worth getting excited or thinking about it. I still view it as a goal that's quite far away."

Norris has discovered his peak performance at a crucial juncture—after difficulties with the vehicle in the first part of the campaign—while his teammate has shed the controlled, almost perfect composure that had for so long made him appear to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris maintained a impressive level of equanimity all along, asserting despite setbacks—like his retirement from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his gameplan and work every outing with the same unwavering focus on specifics. This approach has yielded results.

Meanwhile, McLaren have worked hard to attempt to preserve a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has at times been something of torturous process, most notably at Monza when the squad directed Piastri to cede the runner-up spot to his teammate following he had fallen behind due to a slow pit stop. Certain spectators did not take well to what was considered McLaren needlessly interfering with their competitors.

Norris has won the previous pair of races, in Mexico and São Paulo, and was jeered on the podium at each, yet he remained unmoved. "When you're leading, many individuals want to bring you down. They don't like seeing you winning. I consider it a good thing," he remarked.

"It makes me laugh. When I was on the winner's stage in Brazil, I truly enjoyed it. The experience was quite enjoyable. At last you feel like you're doing something right.

"It doesn't bother me, as long as I win. As long as I feel like I am competing the correct manner, and I think that's the case, as long as I am confident I'm putting effort into being who I am and similar principles, then I am not concerned about external opinions."

Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be conquered, and it is not a track ideal for the British team. The layout has similarities with Montreal and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and low grip. They are the only two tracks this season where the papaya squad have been unable to secure at least one top-three finish, and the leader was circumspect once more about their chances this weekend. Still, his task in the short term is straightforward: finish in ahead of his teammate and the points he needs will come.

Practice Shows Mixed Results for Title Contenders

The Ferrari driver topped the times in FP1 on what was still a dusty and extremely slippery surface. The Williams racer was second, with the Red Bull star fourth, the McLaren ace in P6, and the Australian in eighth. During the more indicative evening session of second practice, Norris was quickest from the Mercedes of the Italian rookie, with Piastri 14th; though, the practice was interrupted for nearly the last third of track time to check a suspected loose manhole cover at turn 17.

The issue is taken seriously on a temporary track where, at the first Nevada GP staged in 2023, a loose manhole smashed into the Ferrari, heavily harming it and causing the practice to be aborted.

The German Team Confirm Ownership Sale

Mercedes have confirmed that their boss Toto Wolff has sold a 15% stake in his investment firm, representing a 5% share in the team, to US tycoon George Kurtz. The investor is the CEO and founder of the digital protection firm the tech giant. The team principal will stay on as team principal and may receive as much as £230m from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been appraised at £4.57bn, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.