🔗 Share this article

Despite all hype around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is maintaining a calm demeanor regarding his prospects of claiming his first world title.

The British driver currently holds a 24-point lead over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by 49 points, with just up to 83 points up for grabs across the remaining trio of events. However, after staging a remarkable comeback from 34 points behind Piastri following the Zandvoort race in August, Norris is focused on performing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the lead of the standings.

"It can easily turn the opposite way again as much as I don't want it to," he commented. "That's motorsport, as we all know. Sometimes you get lucky. Other times you end up unlucky. Whatever it may be. There's really not worth getting excited or thinking about it. I continue to view it as something that's quite far away."

The 26-year-old has discovered his peak performance at a crucial moment—after difficulties with the car in the first part of the season—while Piastri has shed the disciplined, almost perfect ease that previously made him seem to be a future title winner. Importantly, Norris kept a remarkable level of composure throughout, insisting even in the face of setbacks—like his retirement from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his strategy and work every outing with the identical unwavering attention to detail. It has paid off.

Meanwhile, the team have worked hard to attempt to maintain a fair competition for their pair of racers, and it has at times been a rather torturous process, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the team directed Piastri to cede the runner-up spot to his teammate following he had fallen behind due to a delayed tire change. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was seen as the team needlessly manipulating their drivers.

Norris has claimed victory in the last two races, in Mexico City and Brazil, and was booed on the podium at each, leaving him unfazed. "Once you are on top, a lot of individuals want to undermine you. They don't want to see you winning. I consider it a positive sign," he said.

"It makes me laugh. While standing on the winner's stage in Interlagos, I truly loved it. It was very enjoyable. At last you sense that you're doing something right.

"I don't mind, provided that I win. 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 effort into remaining true to myself and similar principles, then I'm not too fussed with external opinions."

Vegas, on the other hand, needs to be conquered, and it is not a track ideal for the British team. It shares similarities with Montreal and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and low grip. These are the only two circuits this season where McLaren have failed to claim at least one podium place, and the leader was cautious once more about their chances in Nevada. Yet, his objective in the short term is simple: end the race in ahead of his teammate and the championship tally he requires will follow.

Friday Running Sees Mixed Results for Title Contenders

The Ferrari driver led the times in FP1 on what was remained a dusty and very slippery track. Alex Albon was runner-up, with the Red Bull star in fourth, the McLaren ace sixth, and the Australian in eighth. In the more indicative night running of FP2, Norris was fastest ahead of the Mercedes of the Italian rookie, with his teammate down in fourteenth; though, the session was interrupted for almost all of the last third of track time to inspect a suspected unsecured drain cover at turn 17.

This problem is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP held in 2023, a loose manhole smashed into the Ferrari, heavily damaging it and causing the practice to be aborted.

Mercedes Announce Stake Transaction

Mercedes have revealed that their boss Toto Wolff has divested a 15% stake in his investment firm, representing a 5% share in the team, to US tycoon George Kurtz. The investor is the CEO and founder of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Wolff will stay on as boss and may receive as much as £230 million from the deal, with Mercedes having been valued at £4.57bn, a record for an F1 team.