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Amid all hype around the Sin City Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a calm demeanor about his chances of claiming his maiden drivers' championship.

Norris currently holds a 24-point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only a maximum of 83 points available across the remaining trio of races. However, after pulling off a remarkable comeback from 34 points behind his teammate following the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is focused on performing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the lead of the standings.

"It can quickly go the opposite way once more even though I don't want it to," he commented. "That's motorsport, as we all know. You can get lucky. Other times you also be unlucky. Whatever it may be. There's really not worth getting excited or thinking about it. I still do see it as a goal that remains far away."

Norris has found his best form at a critical moment—after difficulties with the car in the opening half of the campaign—while his teammate has lost the controlled, almost perfect composure that had for so long made him appear to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris maintained a impressive level of equanimity throughout, insisting despite setbacks—such as his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would stick to his gameplan and approach every outing with the identical unwavering attention to detail. This approach has yielded results.

Meanwhile, the team have gone to no little effort to try to maintain a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been something of torturous experience, most notably at Monza when the team instructed the Australian to cede the runner-up spot to his teammate following he had fallen behind due to a delayed tire change. Some fans did not take well to what was considered the team unnecessarily interfering with their drivers.

Norris has won the previous pair of races, in Mexico and São Paulo, and was jeered on the winner's rostrum at each, leaving him unfazed. "Once you are on top, a lot of individuals want to undermine you. They do not want to see you succeeding. I see it as a positive sign," he remarked.

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

"I don't mind, provided that I come out on top. If I feel like I'm doing it the correct way, and I think I am, as long as I am confident I'm putting hard work into being who I am and similar principles, then I'm not too fussed about the rest of it."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, needs to be mastered, and it is a circuit suited to the British team. It shares similarities with Canada and Azerbaijan: low downforce, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. These are the only two tracks in the current championship where the papaya squad have failed to secure at least one podium place, and the leader was cautious once more about their chances this weekend. Yet, his objective in the immediate future is straightforward: finish in front of Piastri and the championship tally he requires will follow.

Friday Running Sees Mixed Outcomes for Championship Rivals

Charles Leclerc led the times in first practice on what was remained a dusty and extremely low-grip surface. Alex Albon was second, with Verstappen fourth, Norris in P6, and Piastri in eighth. During the more indicative night running of FP2, the Briton was quickest ahead of the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with his teammate 14th; however, the session was interrupted for almost all of the final 20 minutes of track time to inspect a suspected unsecured drain cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the first Nevada GP staged in 2023, a loose drain cover smashed into Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, heavily damaging it and leading to the session to be ended.

The German Team Confirm Ownership Sale

Mercedes have confirmed that their boss the Austrian executive has divested a fifteen percent share in his investment firm, equating to a five percent ownership in the team, to American billionaire the cybersecurity magnate. Kurtz is the CEO and founder of the digital protection firm the tech giant. Wolff will remain as boss and could earn up to £230m from the sale, with the Brackley-based outfit having been appraised at £4.57 billion, a record for an F1 team.