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Despite the excitement around the Sin City Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a level head about his prospects of claiming his maiden drivers' championship.

The British driver presently has a two-dozen point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by 49 points, with only up to eighty-three points up for grabs across the final three events. However, after staging a remarkable comeback from a significant deficit Piastri following 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 go the opposite way again even though I don't want it to," he commented. "That's racing, you know. You can get lucky. Other times you also be unfortunate. Whatever it may be. It's no point becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I continue to do see it as a goal that's quite distant."

The 26-year-old has discovered his peak performance at a critical juncture—having struggled with the vehicle in the first part of the campaign—at the same time that his teammate has lost the controlled, almost perfect ease that previously made him appear to be a champion in waiting. Importantly, Norris kept a impressive level of composure all along, 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 relentless focus on specifics. This approach has paid off.

All the while, the team have gone to no little effort to attempt to maintain a fair competition for their two drivers, and it has at times been a rather difficult process, especially at the Italian Grand Prix when the team instructed Piastri to surrender the runner-up spot to Norris following he had fallen behind because of a slow pit stop. Some fans did not take well to what was seen as McLaren needlessly interfering with their drivers.

The championship leader has claimed victory in the previous pair of grands prix, in Mexico and São Paulo, and was jeered on the podium at each, leaving him unfazed. "Once you are on top, many people want to undermine you. They do not like seeing you succeeding. I see it as a positive sign," he said.

"It just amuses me. When I was on the winner's stage in Brazil, I truly loved it. It was quite satisfying. You finally feel like you are achieving success.

"I don't mind, provided that I come out on top. If I feel like I'm doing it the correct manner, which I feel like that's the case, as long as I feel like I'm putting effort into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, then I am not concerned with external opinions."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, must be mastered, and it is not a track ideal for the British team. The layout has characteristics with Montreal and Azerbaijan: low downforce, cool temperatures, and slippery surfaces. These are the only two circuits this season where McLaren have failed to secure a single top-three finish, and Norris was cautious again about their chances this weekend. Still, his task in the immediate future is simple: finish in front of Piastri and the championship tally he requires will come.

Practice Sees Varied Results for Title Contenders

Charles Leclerc led the times in FP1 on what was remained a sandy and very slippery surface. The Williams racer was second, with the Red Bull star fourth, Norris sixth, and Piastri in eighth. During the more indicative evening session of FP2, the Briton was quickest from the Mercedes of the Italian rookie, with Piastri 14th; though, the session was interrupted for nearly the last third of running to check a reported unsecured drain cover at turn 17.

The issue is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the first Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a dislodged drain cover struck Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, heavily harming it and leading to the session to be ended.

Mercedes Confirm Ownership Transaction

The eight-time constructors' champions have revealed that their boss the Austrian executive has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, representing a 5% share in the team, to American billionaire George Kurtz. The investor is the CEO and founder of the digital protection firm CrowdStrike. Wolff will remain as team principal and could earn as much as £230m from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57 billion, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.