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Amid all excitement surrounding the Sin City Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is maintaining a calm demeanor regarding his prospects of claiming his first world title.

The British driver currently has a two-dozen point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by 49 points, with only up to 83 points up for grabs across the final three events. However, after pulling off a remarkable recovery from 34 points behind Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is focused on performing with the clinical precision that propelled him to the top of the standings.

"Things can easily go the opposite way once more as much as I hope it doesn't," he stated. "That's racing, as we all know. You can get lucky. You can end up unfortunate. Whatever it may be. It's no point getting excited or thinking about it. I continue to do see it as a goal that's quite far away."

The 26-year-old has found his peak performance at a critical moment—after difficulties with the car in the first part of the campaign—at the same time that Piastri has lost the controlled, almost flawless composure that previously made him seem to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris kept a impressive level of composure all along, asserting even in the face of challenges—such as his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would stick to his gameplan and work each session with the same relentless attention to detail. It has yielded results.

Meanwhile, the team have worked hard to attempt to maintain a fair competition for their two drivers, and it has at times been something of difficult process, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the team instructed Piastri to cede second place to his teammate following he had fallen behind due to a slow pit stop. Some fans did not take well to what was considered McLaren needlessly manipulating their competitors.

The championship leader has won the previous pair of grands prix, in Mexico City and Brazil, and was booed on the winner's rostrum at both, leaving him unfazed. "When you're on top, many individuals try to undermine you. They don't like seeing you winning. I consider it a good thing," he said.

"It makes me laugh. While standing on the winner's stage in Brazil, I really loved it. The experience was quite enjoyable. At last you feel like you're doing success.

"I don't mind, as long as I come out on top. As long as I feel like I am competing the correct manner, and I think that's the case, so long as I feel like I am dedicating hard work into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, then I am not concerned about the rest of it."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, must be conquered, and it is not a track suited to the McLaren. It shares similarities with Montreal and Baku: low downforce, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. They are the only two tracks in the current championship where the papaya squad have been unable to secure at least one podium place, and the leader was circumspect once more about their chances this weekend. Still, his objective in the short term is simple: end the race in ahead of his teammate and the championship tally he requires will follow.

Friday Running Shows Mixed Results for Championship Contenders

The Ferrari driver led the times in first practice on what was remained a dusty and very slippery surface. Alex Albon was second, with the Red Bull star in fourth, the McLaren ace sixth, and the Australian in eighth. During the more indicative night running of second practice, Norris was fastest ahead of the Silver Arrows of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri 14th; though, the practice was interrupted for almost all of the last third of track time to inspect a suspected loose manhole cover at turn 17.

This problem is taken seriously on a temporary track where, at the first Las Vegas GP held in 2023, a dislodged drain cover struck the Ferrari, heavily damaging it and causing the practice to be aborted.

The German Team Announce Stake Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their boss the Austrian executive has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, representing a five percent ownership in the squad, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the digital protection firm the tech giant. The team principal will stay on as boss and may receive as much as £230 million from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57bn, a new high for an Formula 1 constructor.