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Despite all excitement around the Sin City Grand Prix, Lando Norris is keeping a level head about his chances of claiming his maiden drivers' championship.

The British driver presently has a two-dozen point lead over fellow McLaren driver 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 extraordinary recovery from a significant deficit his teammate 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.

"It can easily turn the opposite way again even though I hope it doesn't," he stated. "That's motorsport, as we all know. Sometimes you get lucky. You can also be unfortunate. No matter what happens. There's really not worth becoming overjoyed or dwelling on it. I continue to do see it as something that's quite distant."

Norris has found his best form at a critical juncture—after difficulties with the car in the first part of the season—while his teammate has shed the disciplined, almost perfect composure 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—such as his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his gameplan and approach each session with the same relentless focus on specifics. It has paid off.

Meanwhile, the team have gone to no little effort to try to preserve a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been a rather difficult experience, especially at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad directed Piastri 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 seen as McLaren unnecessarily interfering with their competitors.

Norris has won the previous pair of grands prix, in Mexico and Brazil, and was jeered on the podium at both, leaving him unmoved. "Once you are leading, many people want to undermine you. They don't like seeing you winning. I consider it a good thing," he said.

"It makes me laugh. While standing on the podium in Brazil, I really loved it. The experience was quite satisfying. At last you sense that you're doing success.

"I don't mind, provided that I come out on top. As long as I feel like I am competing the right way, and I think I am, as long as I am confident I am dedicating effort into remaining true to myself and similar principles, then I'm not too fussed about external opinions."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, must be mastered, and it is a circuit suited to the McLaren. It shares characteristics with Montreal and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. These are the only two tracks this season where the papaya squad have been unable to secure at least one top-three finish, and Norris was circumspect again about their prospects this weekend. Yet, his task in the short term is simple: end the race in ahead of Piastri and the championship tally he requires will follow.

Practice Shows Varied Results for Championship Contenders

The Ferrari driver topped the times in first practice on what was remained a dusty and extremely slippery surface. The Williams racer was runner-up, with Verstappen in fourth, the McLaren ace in P6, and the Australian eighth. During the more indicative evening session of FP2, Norris was fastest ahead of the Mercedes of the Italian rookie, with his teammate 14th; though, the session lost nearly the last third of track time to check a reported unsecured drain cover at turn 17.

This problem is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Nevada GP staged in 2023, a dislodged drain cover struck the Ferrari, heavily damaging it and causing the practice to be aborted.

The German Team Confirm Ownership Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have revealed that their team principal the Austrian executive has sold a 15% stake in his investment firm, equating to a 5% share in the squad, to American billionaire George Kurtz. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the digital protection firm CrowdStrike. Wolff will remain as team principal and may receive as much as £230m from the sale, with Mercedes having been valued at £4.57 billion, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.