🔗 Share this article

Despite the excitement surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is maintaining a level head about his chances of securing his maiden drivers' championship.

The British driver currently holds a two-dozen point lead over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with only a maximum of 83 points available across the final three events. However, after staging a remarkable recovery from 34 points behind Piastri following the Zandvoort race in August, Norris is focused on executing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the lead of the standings.

"Things can easily turn the opposite way again as much as I don't want it to," he stated. "That's motorsport, as we all know. Sometimes you also have luck. Other times you also be unlucky. No matter what happens. There's really not worth getting excited or thinking about it. I still view it as something that remains distant."

The 26-year-old has discovered his peak performance at a crucial moment—after difficulties with the vehicle in the first part of the campaign—while his teammate has lost the controlled, almost flawless composure that had for so long made him appear to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris kept a impressive level of composure all along, asserting even in the face of setbacks—like his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his gameplan and approach each session with the same unwavering focus on specifics. It has yielded results.

Meanwhile, the team have worked hard to attempt to preserve a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has at times been a rather difficult process, especially at Monza when the squad instructed the Australian to surrender the runner-up spot to Norris following he had lost the spot because of a slow pit stop. Some fans were unhappy with what was considered McLaren needlessly interfering with their competitors.

Norris has claimed victory in the last two grands prix, in Mexico and Brazil, and was jeered on the winner's rostrum at both, yet he remained unmoved. "When you're leading, a lot of people want to bring you down. They don't like seeing you winning. I consider it a good thing," he remarked.

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

"I don't mind, as long as I win. If I believe I'm doing it the right manner, which I feel like I am, so long as I feel like I'm putting hard work into being who I am and those kinds of things, then I am not concerned with the rest of it."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, must be conquered, and it is not a track ideal for the McLaren. The layout has characteristics with Canada and Baku: low downforce, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. They are the sole pair of circuits in the current championship where McLaren have failed to claim a single podium place, and Norris was cautious again about their chances this weekend. Still, his objective in the immediate future is simple: end the race in ahead of his teammate and the championship tally he needs will come.

Practice Sees Varied Outcomes for Title Contenders

Charles Leclerc led the times in FP1 on what was still a sandy and extremely low-grip surface. Alex Albon was runner-up, with the Red Bull star in fourth, Norris in P6, and the Australian eighth. In the more representative night running of FP2, Norris was fastest from the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri 14th; though, the session was interrupted for nearly the final 20 minutes of track time to inspect a suspected loose 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 leading to the session to be ended.

Mercedes Announce Ownership Transaction

Mercedes have confirmed that their boss Toto Wolff has divested a 15% stake in his investment firm, representing a five percent ownership in the team, to American billionaire George Kurtz. The investor is the CEO and founder of the digital protection firm the tech giant. The team principal will stay on as boss and could earn as much as £230 million from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been appraised at £4.57bn, a new high for an Formula 1 constructor.