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

Norris currently has a two-dozen point advantage over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with only a maximum of 83 points available across the remaining trio of events. However, after pulling off a extraordinary comeback from 34 points behind Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is focused on performing with the methodical approach that lifted him to the lead of the championship.

"Things can easily turn the opposite way again even though I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's motorsport, as we all know. You can get lucky. Other times you end up unlucky. Whatever it may be. It's no point getting excited or thinking about it. I still do see it as something that's quite far away."

The 26-year-old has found his best form at a crucial moment—having struggled with the vehicle in the first part of the season—at the same time that Piastri has lost the controlled, almost flawless ease that had for so long made him appear to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris kept a impressive level of equanimity all along, insisting even in the face of setbacks—like his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his gameplan and work each session with the identical relentless attention to detail. It has paid off.

Meanwhile, the team have worked hard to attempt to maintain a fair competition for their pair of racers, and it has on occasion been something of torturous experience, most notably 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 delayed tire change. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was seen as McLaren needlessly manipulating their drivers.

Norris has won the last two grands prix, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was booed on the winner's rostrum at both, yet he remained unmoved. "Once you are leading, a lot of individuals try to bring you down. They do not like seeing you succeeding. I see it as a positive sign," he remarked.

"It amuses me. When I was on the podium in Interlagos, I truly loved it. It was very enjoyable. At last you sense that you are achieving success.

"It doesn't bother me, provided that I come out on top. If I feel like I'm doing it the right manner, and I think I am, as long as I feel like I am dedicating effort into being who I am and similar principles, then I am not concerned with the rest of it."

Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be mastered, and it is a circuit suited to the McLaren. The layout has characteristics with Canada and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. These are the only two circuits this season where the papaya squad have failed to secure a single top-three finish, and Norris was circumspect once more about their chances this weekend. Still, his task in the short term is simple: finish in front of Piastri and the championship tally he requires will follow.

Friday Running Sees Varied Results for Title Contenders

Charles Leclerc topped the leaderboard in FP1 on what was remained a sandy and extremely low-grip surface. Alex Albon was runner-up, with the Red Bull star in fourth, Norris in P6, and Piastri in eighth. In the more indicative night running of second practice, Norris was quickest ahead of the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri 14th; however, the session was interrupted for almost all of the final 20 minutes of track time to check a reported unsecured manhole cover at turn 17.

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

Mercedes Confirm Stake Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their boss Toto Wolff has divested a 15% stake in his investment firm, equating to a five percent ownership in the squad, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. The team principal will remain as boss and could earn as much as £230 million from the deal, with Mercedes having been appraised at £4.57 billion, a record for an F1 team.