🔗 Share this article

Despite all excitement surrounding the Sin City Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is keeping a level head about his prospects of securing his maiden world title.

Norris currently has a 24-point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only up to 83 points up for grabs across the final three races. But, after staging a extraordinary recovery from 34 points behind Piastri following the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is concentrating on performing with the clinical precision that propelled him to the lead of the championship.

"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 also have luck. You can end up unfortunate. Whatever it may be. It's not worth becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I still do see it as something that's quite distant."

Norris has found his best form at a critical moment—after difficulties with the car in the opening half of the campaign—at the same time that his teammate has lost the disciplined, almost flawless ease that previously made him appear to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris kept a impressive level of composure throughout, insisting even in the face of setbacks—such as his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would stick to his gameplan and work each session with the identical unwavering attention to detail. This approach has paid off.

Meanwhile, McLaren have gone to no little effort to try to preserve a fair competition for their pair of racers, and it has on occasion been something of difficult experience, especially at Monza when the team instructed Piastri to cede second place to his teammate after he had fallen behind due to a delayed tire change. Some fans did not take well to what was considered McLaren needlessly manipulating their drivers.

Norris has claimed victory in the last two races, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was booed on the podium at each, leaving him unfazed. "Once you are on top, many people want to undermine you. They do not want to see you winning. I consider it a positive sign," he remarked.

"It just amuses me. When I was on the winner's stage in Brazil, I really enjoyed it. It was quite enjoyable. You finally sense that you are achieving something right.

"It doesn't bother me, provided that I win. As long as I believe I am competing the correct way, which I feel like that's the case, so long as I am confident I am dedicating effort into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, 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 characteristics with Canada and Azerbaijan: low downforce, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. These are the sole pair of circuits in the current championship where the papaya squad have failed to claim a single top-three finish, and Norris was circumspect again about their chances this weekend. Still, his task in the immediate future is straightforward: end the race in ahead of Piastri and the points he requires will follow.

Practice Shows Mixed Outcomes for Title Contenders

The Ferrari driver topped the times in first practice on what was still a dusty and very low-grip track. The Williams racer was runner-up, with Verstappen fourth, Norris sixth, and the Australian in eighth. During the more representative evening session of second practice, the Briton was fastest ahead of the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri down in fourteenth; though, the session lost nearly the final 20 minutes of running to inspect a reported unsecured manhole cover at the penultimate corner.

The issue is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the first Nevada GP staged in 2023, a dislodged drain cover smashed into the Ferrari, severely damaging it and causing the session to be ended.

Mercedes Announce Stake Sale

Mercedes have confirmed that their boss the Austrian executive has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, representing a 5% share in the team, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Wolff will stay on as team principal and may receive as much as £230 million from the deal, with Mercedes having been appraised at £4.57bn, a new high for an Formula 1 constructor.