🔗 Share this article

Despite all hype around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a calm demeanor regarding his chances of securing his first drivers' championship.

Norris presently has a two-dozen point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with just a maximum of 83 points up for grabs across the remaining trio of races. However, after staging a extraordinary recovery from a significant deficit his teammate after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is focused on executing with the methodical approach that lifted him to the top of the standings.

"Things can quickly go the opposite way once more as much as I hope it doesn't," he commented. "That's racing, you know. Sometimes you get lucky. Other times you end up unfortunate. No matter what happens. There's really no point becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I continue to do see it as a goal that remains distant."

Norris has found his peak performance at a crucial juncture—having struggled with the car in the opening half of the campaign—while Piastri has shed the controlled, almost perfect composure that previously made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris maintained a impressive level of composure throughout, insisting even in the face of challenges—such as his retirement from the Zandvoort race—that he would adhere to his strategy and approach every outing with the same unwavering focus on specifics. It has yielded results.

Meanwhile, McLaren have gone to no little effort to try to maintain a level playing field for their pair of racers, and it has on occasion been something of difficult process, especially at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad instructed Piastri to cede the runner-up spot to Norris after he had lost the spot due to a slow pit stop. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was considered McLaren unnecessarily manipulating their drivers.

Norris has claimed victory in the previous pair of grands prix, in Mexico and São Paulo, and was jeered on the winner's rostrum at each, leaving him unfazed. "When you're on top, a lot of people want to bring you down. They don't want to see you winning. I see it as a positive sign," he said.

"It just makes me laugh. When I was on the podium in Brazil, I truly enjoyed it. The experience was very enjoyable. At last you feel like you're doing success.

"I don't mind, as long as I come out on top. As long as I believe I'm doing it the correct way, and I think I am, as long as I am confident I am dedicating effort into being who I am and similar principles, then I am not concerned with the rest of it."

Vegas, on the other hand, must be conquered, and it is not a track ideal for the McLaren. It shares characteristics with Canada and Azerbaijan: low downforce, chilly conditions, and slippery surfaces. These are the only two circuits in the current championship where McLaren have been unable to claim at least one podium place, and the leader was cautious again about their chances in Nevada. Still, his task in the short term is straightforward: finish in front of his teammate and the points he needs will come.

Friday Running Shows Mixed Outcomes for Title Rivals

The Ferrari driver topped the leaderboard in FP1 on what was remained a sandy and extremely low-grip surface. The Williams racer was second, with the Red Bull star in fourth, the McLaren ace sixth, and Piastri in eighth. During the more representative night running of FP2, Norris was quickest from the Silver Arrows of the Italian rookie, with his teammate down in fourteenth; though, the session lost almost all of the final 20 minutes of track time to inspect a suspected loose drain cover at turn 17.

The issue is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the first Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a loose drain cover smashed into Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, heavily harming it and leading to the practice to be ended.

Mercedes Confirm Ownership Transaction

Mercedes have revealed that their boss the Austrian executive has divested a fifteen percent share in his holding company, representing a five percent ownership in the squad, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. Kurtz is the CEO and founder of the cybersecurity company the tech giant. The team principal will stay on as team principal and may receive up to £230m from the sale, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57bn, a record for an F1 team.