🔗 Share this article

Despite all hype surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is keeping a level head regarding his prospects of securing his first drivers' championship.

Norris presently has 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 up for grabs across the remaining trio of races. But, after pulling off a extraordinary recovery from a significant deficit Piastri following the Zandvoort race in the summer, Norris is focused on executing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the top of the standings.

"It can easily go the opposite way again as much as I don't want it to," he stated. "That's racing, you know. You can get lucky. You can end up unlucky. No matter what happens. It's no point becoming overjoyed or dwelling on it. I continue to do see it as a goal that's quite distant."

The 26-year-old has discovered his best form at a critical juncture—having struggled with the vehicle in the opening half of the campaign—while his teammate has shed the controlled, almost flawless ease that had for so long made him appear to be a future title winner. Importantly, Norris kept a remarkable level of equanimity throughout, insisting despite setbacks—such as his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his gameplan and work each session with the identical unwavering focus on specifics. This approach has paid off.

All the while, the team have worked hard to attempt to maintain a level playing field for their pair of racers, and it has on occasion been something of difficult experience, especially at Monza when the squad directed Piastri to surrender the runner-up spot to his teammate after he had lost the spot because of a slow pit stop. Some fans were unhappy with what was considered McLaren unnecessarily interfering with their drivers.

The championship leader has claimed victory in the previous pair of grands prix, in Mexico and São Paulo, and was booed on the podium at each, leaving him unfazed. "When you're on top, many people want to bring you down. They do not want to see you succeeding. I see it as a good thing," he said.

"It just amuses me. While standing on the winner's stage in Interlagos, I truly loved it. The experience was very satisfying. At last you sense that you're doing success.

"I don't mind, provided that I win. As long as I believe I am competing the correct way, and I think that's the case, as long as I feel like I'm putting effort into being who I am and similar principles, then I am not concerned about the rest of it."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be mastered, and it is a circuit ideal for the McLaren. It shares characteristics with Canada and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, chilly conditions, and low grip. They are the only two tracks in the current championship where McLaren have been unable to secure at least one top-three finish, and the leader was cautious once more about their chances in Nevada. Still, his objective in the immediate future is straightforward: end the race in front of his teammate and the points he requires will come.

Practice Shows Mixed Outcomes for Championship Rivals

The Ferrari driver topped the leaderboard in first practice on what was still a sandy and extremely low-grip track. Alex Albon was runner-up, with Verstappen fourth, Norris sixth, and the Australian in eighth. In the more indicative evening session of second practice, the Briton was quickest 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 track time to check a suspected unsecured drain cover at turn 17.

The issue is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Nevada GP staged in 2023, a loose drain cover struck Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, heavily harming it and causing the practice to be aborted.

The German Team Confirm Stake Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have revealed that their boss the Austrian executive has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, representing a 5% share in the team, to American billionaire the cybersecurity magnate. The investor is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Wolff will stay on as team principal and could earn up to £230 million from the sale, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57bn, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.