🔗 Share this article

Amid all hype surrounding the Sin City Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is maintaining a calm demeanor about his prospects of claiming his maiden drivers' championship.

Norris presently holds a 24-point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only up to eighty-three points up for grabs across the final three races. However, after staging a extraordinary comeback from a significant deficit Piastri following the Zandvoort race in August, Norris is focused on performing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the lead of the standings.

"Things can quickly turn the opposite way again even though I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's racing, you know. Sometimes you get lucky. You can also be unlucky. No matter what happens. It's not worth becoming overjoyed or dwelling on it. I still do see it as a goal that remains distant."

Norris has found his best form at a crucial juncture—after difficulties with the vehicle in the first part of the season—at the same time that Piastri has shed the disciplined, almost flawless composure that previously made him appear to be a champion in waiting. Importantly, Norris maintained a remarkable level of composure throughout, asserting even in the face of challenges—like his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would stick to his gameplan and approach each session with the identical relentless attention to detail. It has paid off.

Meanwhile, 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 a rather torturous process, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the team directed Piastri to cede the runner-up spot to Norris following he had lost the spot due to a delayed tire change. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was seen as the team needlessly interfering with their competitors.

Norris has claimed victory in the last two grands prix, in Mexico and Brazil, and was booed on the podium at each, yet he remained unmoved. "When you're on top, a lot of individuals want to undermine you. They do not want to see you succeeding. I see it as a good thing," he remarked.

"It amuses me. When I was on the podium in Brazil, I truly enjoyed it. It was quite satisfying. You finally sense that you are achieving something right.

"I don't mind, provided that I win. As long as I believe I am competing the right way, and I think I am, so long as I feel like I'm putting hard work into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed with external opinions."

Vegas, on the other hand, must be mastered, and it is not a track ideal for the McLaren. It shares similarities with Montreal and Azerbaijan: low downforce, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. They are the only two circuits this season where McLaren have failed to claim at least one podium place, and the leader was cautious again about their chances in Nevada. Still, his objective in the short term is simple: finish in front of his teammate and the points he requires will come.

Friday Running Shows Varied Results for Title Contenders

Charles Leclerc topped the times in FP1 on what was still a sandy and very slippery surface. Alex Albon was second, with Verstappen in fourth, Norris sixth, and the Australian in eighth. In the more representative night running of second practice, the Briton was quickest ahead of the Mercedes of the Italian rookie, with Piastri 14th; though, the practice was interrupted for almost all of the last third of track time to inspect a suspected loose drain cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is taken seriously on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a dislodged manhole struck the Ferrari, severely harming it and causing the session to be aborted.

The German Team Confirm Ownership Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their team principal the Austrian executive has divested a fifteen percent share in his investment firm, representing a five percent ownership in the team, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the digital protection firm CrowdStrike. The team principal will remain as boss and may receive as much as £230m from the sale, with the Brackley-based outfit having been appraised at £4.57bn, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.