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Despite the hype around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is keeping a calm demeanor regarding his prospects of claiming his maiden drivers' championship.

Norris currently holds a two-dozen point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only up to 83 points available across the remaining trio of races. But, after staging a remarkable recovery from a significant deficit his teammate following the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is concentrating on executing with the methodical approach that lifted him to the top of the standings.

"It can easily turn in the other direction again as much as I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's motorsport, you know. Sometimes you also have luck. Other times you also be unlucky. Whatever it may be. It's not worth becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I still do see it as a goal that's quite far away."

Norris has found his best form at a critical juncture—after difficulties with the vehicle in the opening half of the campaign—while his teammate has lost the disciplined, almost flawless composure that had for so long made him appear to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris maintained a remarkable level of composure all along, insisting even in the face of setbacks—such as his retirement from the Zandvoort race—that he would adhere to his gameplan and approach every outing with the same relentless attention to detail. It has paid off.

All the while, McLaren have gone to no little effort to try to maintain a fair competition for their pair of racers, and it has at times been something of torturous experience, especially at Monza when the team instructed Piastri to cede the runner-up spot to his teammate following he had lost the spot due to a delayed tire change. Certain spectators did not take well to what was seen as the team needlessly manipulating their drivers.

The championship leader has won the previous pair of grands prix, in Mexico City and Brazil, and was booed on the podium at both, yet he remained unfazed. "Once you are on top, a lot of people try to undermine you. They do not want to see you winning. I consider it a positive sign," he said.

"It just makes me laugh. When I was on the podium in Brazil, I really loved it. The experience was very satisfying. At last you feel like you are achieving success.

"It doesn't bother me, provided that I come out on top. If I believe I am competing the correct way, and I think I am, so long as I feel like I am dedicating effort 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 suited to the McLaren. The layout has similarities with Montreal and Azerbaijan: low downforce, cool temperatures, and low grip. They are the only two tracks in the current championship where McLaren have been unable to claim a single top-three finish, and the leader was circumspect once more about their prospects in Nevada. Yet, his objective in the immediate future is straightforward: end the race in ahead of Piastri and the championship tally he requires will come.

Practice Shows Varied Outcomes for Title Rivals

The Ferrari driver led the times in first practice on what was still a dusty and very slippery track. The Williams racer was runner-up, with Verstappen fourth, Norris in P6, and Piastri in eighth. During the more indicative evening session of second practice, Norris was fastest ahead of the Mercedes of the Italian rookie, with his teammate 14th; though, the practice lost almost all of the last third of track time to check a suspected loose drain cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a loose manhole struck the Ferrari, severely damaging it and leading to the practice to be ended.

The German Team Confirm Ownership Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have revealed that their boss Toto Wolff has sold a 15% stake in his investment firm, equating to a 5% share in the squad, to American billionaire the cybersecurity magnate. The investor is the chief executive and creator 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 appraised at £4.57bn, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.