🔗 Share this article

Amid all hype surrounding the Sin City Grand Prix, Lando Norris is keeping a calm demeanor regarding his prospects of securing his first world title.

The British driver presently has a 24-point advantage over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by 49 points, with only up to 83 points up for grabs across the final three events. However, after staging a remarkable recovery from a significant deficit Piastri after the Zandvoort race in the summer, Norris is concentrating on performing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the top of the championship.

"Things can quickly turn the opposite way once more even though I don't want it to," he stated. "That's motorsport, as we all know. You can also have luck. Other times you end up unlucky. No matter what happens. There's really no point getting excited or dwelling on it. I still view it as something that's quite far away."

The 26-year-old has found his best form at a crucial juncture—after difficulties with the vehicle in the first part of the campaign—at the same time that his teammate has shed the disciplined, nearly perfect composure that had for so long made him seem to be a future title winner. Importantly, Norris maintained a impressive level of composure throughout, asserting even in the face of setbacks—like his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would stick to his strategy and work each session with the same unwavering focus on specifics. It has yielded results.

All the while, the team have worked hard to attempt to preserve a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been a rather torturous process, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad instructed Piastri to surrender second place to Norris after he had lost the spot due to a delayed tire change. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was considered the team needlessly manipulating their drivers.

Norris has claimed victory in the previous pair of races, in Mexico City and Brazil, and was jeered on the podium at each, leaving him unfazed. "Once you are on top, a lot of individuals try to undermine you. They don't like seeing you winning. I consider it a positive sign," he remarked.

"It amuses me. While standing on the winner's stage in Brazil, I truly enjoyed it. The experience was quite satisfying. You finally sense that you are achieving success.

"I don't mind, provided that I win. If I believe I'm doing it the correct way, which I feel like that's the case, so long as I feel like I am dedicating hard work into being who I am and similar principles, then I'm not too fussed with external opinions."

Las Vegas, on the other hand, must be mastered, and it is a circuit suited to the British team. It shares characteristics with Montreal and Baku: low downforce, cool temperatures, and slippery surfaces. They are the sole pair of circuits in the current championship where the papaya squad have failed to claim at least one top-three finish, and Norris was circumspect again about their prospects this weekend. Yet, his objective in the immediate future is straightforward: finish in ahead of Piastri and the points he needs will follow.

Friday Running Shows Mixed Outcomes for Title Rivals

Charles Leclerc led the times in FP1 on what was still a dusty and very slippery track. Alex Albon was second, with the Red Bull star fourth, the McLaren ace in P6, and Piastri in eighth. During the more representative night running of FP2, Norris was fastest ahead of the Silver Arrows of the Italian rookie, with his teammate down in fourteenth; though, the practice was interrupted for almost all of the last third of running to check a suspected loose manhole cover at turn 17.

The issue is taken seriously on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP held in 2023, a loose drain cover smashed into Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, heavily harming it and causing the practice to be ended.

The German Team Confirm Ownership Sale

Mercedes have revealed that their team principal Toto Wolff has sold a 15% stake in his holding company, equating to a five percent ownership in the team, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. Kurtz is the CEO and founder 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 valued at £4.57 billion, a new high for an F1 team.