🔗 Share this article

Amid the excitement around the Sin City Grand Prix, Lando Norris is keeping a level head about his prospects of securing his first 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 final three events. But, after staging a remarkable recovery from 34 points behind Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is concentrating on executing with the methodical approach that lifted him to the top of the championship.

"Things can quickly go in the other direction again even though I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's motorsport, you know. Sometimes you get lucky. You can also be unfortunate. Whatever it may be. There's really no point getting excited or dwelling on 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 crucial juncture—having struggled with the vehicle in the opening half of the season—while Piastri has lost the disciplined, almost flawless composure that previously made him seem to be a future title winner. Importantly, Norris kept a impressive level of equanimity all along, insisting even in the face of challenges—like his retirement from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his strategy and work every outing with the identical relentless focus on specifics. It has yielded results.

Meanwhile, McLaren have worked hard to attempt to maintain a fair competition for their two drivers, and it has at times been something of torturous experience, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the team directed the Australian to surrender second place to his teammate following he had lost the spot due to a slow pit stop. Some fans did not take well to what was seen as McLaren needlessly interfering with their competitors.

The championship leader has won the last two grands prix, in Mexico City and Brazil, and was booed on the podium at each, leaving him unmoved. "When you're leading, a lot of individuals try to undermine you. They don't like seeing you winning. I see it as a positive sign," he remarked.

"It makes me laugh. When I was on the podium in Interlagos, I truly enjoyed it. The experience was quite enjoyable. You finally sense that you're doing success.

"I don't mind, provided that I come out on top. If I feel like I am competing the right manner, which I feel like that's the case, as long as I feel like I'm putting hard work into remaining true to myself and similar principles, then I'm not too fussed with the rest of it."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, must be conquered, and it is a circuit ideal for the British team. It shares similarities with Montreal and Baku: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. These are the sole pair of circuits this season where the papaya squad have failed to secure at least one top-three finish, and the leader was cautious again about their chances in Nevada. Yet, his task in the short term is straightforward: end the race in ahead of his teammate and the championship tally he needs will follow.

Friday Running Sees Mixed Results for Title Contenders

Charles Leclerc topped the times in first practice on what was still a sandy and extremely slippery track. Alex Albon was second, with Verstappen fourth, the McLaren ace in P6, and the Australian in eighth. During the more representative night running of second practice, the Briton was fastest from the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with his teammate down in fourteenth; however, the practice lost almost all of the final 20 minutes of track time to inspect a reported loose drain cover at the penultimate corner.

The issue is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Nevada GP held in 2023, a dislodged manhole smashed into the Ferrari, severely harming it and causing the session to be ended.

The German Team Confirm Stake Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their boss Toto Wolff has divested a 15% stake in his investment firm, representing a five percent ownership in the team, to US tycoon George Kurtz. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. The team principal will stay on as team principal and may receive as much as £230 million from the sale, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57 billion, a record for an F1 team.