🔗 Share this article

Amid all hype surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is maintaining a level head regarding his prospects of securing his first world title.

The British driver currently has a two-dozen point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with just a maximum of 83 points up for grabs across the remaining trio of races. But, after staging a remarkable recovery from a significant deficit Piastri following the Zandvoort race in the summer, Norris is concentrating on executing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the lead of the standings.

"It can easily go the opposite way once more even though I don't want it to," he stated. "That's racing, as we all know. Sometimes you get lucky. Other times you also be unfortunate. No matter what happens. There's really not worth getting excited or thinking about it. I continue to do see it as a goal that's quite far away."

Norris has discovered his peak performance at a crucial moment—having struggled with the vehicle in the first part of the season—at the same time that his teammate has lost the controlled, nearly flawless ease that had for so long made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris kept a remarkable level of composure throughout, insisting despite challenges—like his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would adhere to his strategy and work every outing with the identical unwavering focus on specifics. It has yielded results.

Meanwhile, the team have worked hard to try to maintain a fair competition for their pair of racers, and it has at times been a rather difficult process, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad instructed Piastri to cede second place to Norris after he had lost the spot because of a slow pit stop. Certain spectators did not take well to what was seen as the team needlessly interfering with their competitors.

Norris has claimed victory in the last two races, in Mexico City and Brazil, and was booed on the winner's rostrum at each, yet he remained unfazed. "When you're on top, a lot of individuals want to bring you down. They don't like seeing you winning. I see it as a good thing," he said.

"It makes me laugh. When I was on the winner's stage in Brazil, I really enjoyed it. It was quite enjoyable. At last you feel like you're doing something right.

"I don't mind, provided that I come out on top. As long as I believe I am competing the right way, which I feel like I am, as long as I am confident I'm putting effort into being who I am and similar principles, then I am not concerned about the rest of it."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be conquered, and it is not a track suited to the McLaren. It shares characteristics with Canada and Azerbaijan: low downforce, cool temperatures, and slippery surfaces. They are the only two tracks in the current championship where the papaya squad have failed to secure a single podium place, and Norris was cautious once more about their prospects in Nevada. Still, his task in the immediate future is simple: finish in ahead of Piastri and the points he requires will come.

Practice Sees Varied Results for Title Rivals

The Ferrari driver topped the leaderboard in FP1 on what was still a dusty and extremely low-grip track. Alex Albon was runner-up, with Verstappen fourth, Norris in P6, and Piastri in eighth. In the more representative night running of FP2, the Briton was quickest from the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri down in fourteenth; though, the practice was interrupted for almost all of the final 20 minutes of track time to check a reported unsecured manhole cover at turn 17.

This problem is taken seriously on a street circuit where, at the first Nevada GP held in 2023, a loose manhole smashed into Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, severely harming it and causing the session to be aborted.

The German Team Confirm Ownership Transaction

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their team principal the Austrian executive has sold a 15% stake in his investment firm, equating to a five percent ownership in the squad, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. The team principal will remain as team principal and could earn as much as £230 million from the sale, with Mercedes having been valued at £4.57bn, a new high for an F1 team.