🔗 Share this article

Despite the hype around the Sin City Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is maintaining a level head about his chances of securing his first drivers' championship.

Norris presently holds a two-dozen point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only a maximum of eighty-three points available across the final three races. But, after pulling off a remarkable comeback from 34 points behind Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in the summer, Norris is concentrating on performing with the methodical approach that lifted him to the top of the standings.

"Things can easily turn the opposite way once more even though I don't want it to," he commented. "That's racing, you know. You can also have luck. Other times you also be unlucky. Whatever it may be. It's not worth getting excited or thinking about it. I still view it as something that's quite distant."

Norris has discovered his best form at a crucial moment—having struggled with the vehicle in the first part of the campaign—while Piastri has lost the controlled, almost flawless composure that had for so long made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Importantly, Norris maintained a remarkable level of composure throughout, insisting despite challenges—such as his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his strategy and work every outing with the identical relentless focus on specifics. This approach has paid off.

All the while, McLaren have worked hard to attempt to preserve a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been something of torturous process, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad instructed the Australian to surrender the runner-up spot to Norris after he had lost the spot due to a slow pit stop. Some fans were unhappy with what was considered the team unnecessarily manipulating their drivers.

The championship leader has claimed victory in the last two races, in Mexico and São Paulo, and was jeered on the winner's rostrum at both, yet he remained unfazed. "When you're leading, a lot of individuals try to bring you down. 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 winner's stage in Brazil, I truly enjoyed it. It was quite enjoyable. At last you sense that you're doing something right.

"It doesn't bother me, as long as I come out on top. As long as I believe I'm doing it the correct manner, and I think I am, as long as I am confident I am dedicating effort into being who I am and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed with external opinions."

Vegas, on the other hand, needs to be mastered, and it is a circuit suited to the British team. It shares similarities with Montreal and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and slippery surfaces. They are the only two circuits this season where McLaren have been unable to secure at least one podium place, and Norris was circumspect again about their chances this weekend. Still, his task in the immediate future is simple: finish in front of Piastri and the championship tally he needs will follow.

Friday Running Sees Varied Results for Championship Contenders

The Ferrari driver topped the times in FP1 on what was still a dusty and extremely low-grip track. Alex Albon was second, with the Red Bull star in fourth, Norris sixth, and Piastri in eighth. During the more representative night running of FP2, the Briton was fastest from the Silver Arrows of the Italian rookie, with Piastri down in fourteenth; though, the session lost nearly the final 20 minutes of running to check a reported unsecured manhole cover at the penultimate corner.

The issue is taken seriously on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP held in 2023, a loose drain cover smashed into the Ferrari, severely damaging it and causing the session to be ended.

The German Team Announce Ownership Transaction

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their boss the Austrian executive has sold a fifteen percent share in his holding company, equating to a five percent ownership in the squad, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. The investor is the CEO and founder of the cybersecurity company the tech giant. The team principal will stay on as boss and could earn up to £230m from the deal, with Mercedes having been appraised at £4.57 billion, a new high for an Formula 1 constructor.