🔗 Share this article

Amid all hype surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is keeping a level head regarding his chances of claiming his maiden world title.

Norris presently holds a two-dozen point lead over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with just a maximum of eighty-three points available across the final three races. But, after pulling off a remarkable comeback from 34 points behind his teammate following the Zandvoort race in August, Norris is concentrating on executing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the lead of the standings.

"Things can easily go in the other direction again as much as I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's motorsport, you know. Sometimes you also have luck. You can also be unfortunate. No matter what happens. There's really not worth becoming overjoyed or dwelling on it. I continue to view it as a goal that remains distant."

Norris has found his peak performance at a crucial moment—after difficulties with the vehicle in the first part of the campaign—at the same time that his teammate has shed the disciplined, almost perfect composure that previously made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris maintained a impressive level of equanimity all along, insisting even in the face of setbacks—such as his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his strategy and work each session with the identical unwavering attention to detail. It has yielded results.

Meanwhile, the team have worked hard to attempt to maintain a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been something of difficult process, especially at the Italian Grand Prix when the team directed Piastri to surrender second place to Norris after he had lost the spot because of a slow pit stop. Certain spectators did not take well to what was considered the team unnecessarily interfering with their competitors.

Norris has claimed victory in the previous pair of races, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was jeered on the winner's rostrum at each, yet he remained unfazed. "Once you are leading, a lot of people try to undermine you. They don't like seeing you winning. I consider it a positive sign," he remarked.

"It just amuses me. While standing on the winner's stage in Interlagos, I really enjoyed it. It was quite satisfying. At last you sense that you're doing something right.

"I don't mind, as long as I come out on top. As long as I feel like I'm doing it the correct manner, and I think that's the case, as long as I am confident I am dedicating hard work into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, then I am not concerned with the rest of it."

Vegas, meanwhile, must be mastered, and it is a circuit suited to the McLaren. It shares characteristics with Montreal and Azerbaijan: low downforce, cool temperatures, and low grip. These are the sole pair of circuits in the current championship where McLaren have failed to secure at least one podium place, and Norris was circumspect once more about their chances in Nevada. Still, his task in the immediate future is straightforward: finish in ahead of his teammate and the points he needs will come.

Friday Running Shows Varied Outcomes for Title Contenders

Charles Leclerc led the times in FP1 on what was still a sandy and very low-grip track. The Williams racer was runner-up, with the Red Bull star in fourth, the McLaren ace in P6, and the Australian eighth. In the more indicative evening session of FP2, Norris was fastest ahead of the Mercedes of the Italian rookie, with Piastri 14th; though, the session lost nearly the final 20 minutes of running to check a reported unsecured drain cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Nevada GP staged in 2023, a dislodged manhole smashed into Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, heavily damaging it and causing the practice to be aborted.

Mercedes Confirm Ownership Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their team principal the Austrian executive has sold a fifteen percent share in his holding company, equating to a 5% share in the team, to US tycoon George Kurtz. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company the tech giant. Wolff will stay on as team principal and may receive as much as £230m from the deal, with Mercedes having been appraised at £4.57 billion, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.