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Amid the excitement surrounding the Sin City Grand Prix, Lando Norris is keeping a calm demeanor about his prospects of claiming his first drivers' championship.

Norris currently holds a 24-point advantage over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with just up to 83 points available across the final three events. However, after staging a remarkable recovery from 34 points behind his teammate after the Dutch Grand Prix in the summer, Norris is concentrating on performing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the top of the championship.

"Things can easily go in the other direction again even though I hope it doesn't," he stated. "That's racing, as we all know. Sometimes you get lucky. You can also be unlucky. No matter what happens. There's really no point becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I still do see it as a goal that's quite distant."

Norris has discovered his peak performance at a crucial moment—after difficulties with the car in the first part of the campaign—at the same time that Piastri has lost the disciplined, nearly perfect ease that previously made him seem to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris maintained a impressive level of equanimity all along, insisting despite challenges—such as his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would stick to his strategy and work each session with the same relentless attention to detail. This approach has paid off.

Meanwhile, McLaren have gone to no little effort to attempt to preserve a fair competition for their pair of racers, and it has at times been something of difficult process, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad directed the Australian to cede second place to Norris following he had fallen behind due to a delayed tire change. Some fans were unhappy with what was considered the team unnecessarily interfering with their drivers.

Norris has claimed victory in the previous pair of grands prix, in Mexico City and Brazil, and was jeered on the podium at each, leaving him unmoved. "Once you are leading, a lot of people want to undermine you. They don't like seeing you winning. I see it as a positive sign," he remarked.

"It just amuses me. While standing on the podium in Brazil, I truly enjoyed it. It was quite satisfying. You finally feel like you are achieving something right.

"It doesn't bother me, provided that I come out on top. As long as I feel like I'm doing it the right manner, which I feel like I am, as long as I feel like I am dedicating hard work into being who I am and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed with the rest of it."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, must be conquered, and it is a circuit suited to the British team. The layout has similarities with Montreal and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and slippery surfaces. They are the only two circuits this season where the papaya squad have failed to claim a single podium place, and the leader was cautious once more about their chances this weekend. Still, his objective in the short term is straightforward: finish in ahead of Piastri and the points he requires will follow.

Friday Running Sees Varied Outcomes for Title Rivals

Charles Leclerc led the times in first practice on what was remained a sandy and extremely low-grip track. Alex Albon was second, with Verstappen in fourth, Norris sixth, and the Australian in eighth. During the more representative night running of FP2, the Briton was fastest from the Silver Arrows of the Italian rookie, with Piastri down in fourteenth; though, the practice was interrupted for almost all of the final 20 minutes of track time to inspect a suspected loose drain cover at turn 17.

The issue is taken seriously on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a dislodged manhole struck the Ferrari, heavily damaging it and causing the session to be aborted.

Mercedes Confirm Stake Sale

Mercedes have revealed that their team principal the Austrian executive has sold a 15% stake in his holding company, equating to a 5% share in the squad, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the digital protection firm the tech giant. Wolff will remain as boss and could earn as much as £230m from the sale, with Mercedes having been appraised at £4.57bn, a new high for an Formula 1 constructor.