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Despite the hype surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is keeping a level head about his prospects of claiming his first world title.

Norris presently has a two-dozen point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with just up to 83 points available across the final three events. However, after staging a remarkable recovery from 34 points behind his teammate following the Zandvoort race in the summer, Norris is focused on performing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the top of the standings.

"Things can quickly turn in the other direction once more as much as I don't want it to," he stated. "That's racing, you know. Sometimes you get lucky. Other times you end up unfortunate. Whatever it may be. There's really not worth becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I continue to do see it as something that remains 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—at the same time that Piastri has lost the controlled, nearly perfect ease that had for so long made him appear to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris maintained a remarkable level of equanimity throughout, insisting despite setbacks—such as his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would stick to his strategy and work each session with the identical unwavering focus on specifics. It has paid off.

Meanwhile, McLaren have worked hard to attempt to preserve a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has at times been a rather torturous process, especially at Monza when the squad directed Piastri to surrender the runner-up spot to his teammate following he had fallen behind due to a delayed tire change. Some fans were unhappy with what was considered the team unnecessarily manipulating their competitors.

The championship leader has claimed victory in the last two races, in Mexico and São Paulo, and was booed on the podium at both, yet he remained unmoved. "When you're on top, a lot of people want to undermine you. They don't like seeing you succeeding. I see it as a good thing," he said.

"It just makes me laugh. When I was on the podium in Brazil, I truly enjoyed it. It was very satisfying. You finally feel like you are achieving something right.

"It doesn't bother me, as long as I come out on top. If I believe I'm doing it the right way, and I think that's the case, so long as I am confident I'm putting hard work into being who I am and similar principles, then I'm not too fussed with the rest of it."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, must be mastered, and it is not a track suited to the British team. It shares similarities with Canada and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and low grip. These are the only two circuits this season where McLaren have been unable to secure a single podium place, and the leader was cautious once more about their chances this weekend. Yet, his objective in the immediate future is simple: finish in ahead of his teammate and the points he needs will come.

Practice Sees Varied Results for Title Rivals

Charles Leclerc led the times in first practice on what was still a dusty and extremely slippery surface. Alex Albon was runner-up, with the Red Bull star fourth, Norris sixth, and Piastri in eighth. During the more indicative night running of FP2, Norris was quickest from the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri 14th; though, the session lost nearly the last third of track time to check a reported unsecured drain cover at turn 17.

This problem is taken seriously on a street circuit where, at the first Nevada GP held in 2023, a dislodged manhole struck the Ferrari, severely harming it and leading to the practice to be ended.

Mercedes Announce Stake Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have revealed that their boss the Austrian executive has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, equating to a 5% share in the squad, to American billionaire George Kurtz. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company the tech giant. Wolff will stay on as boss and may receive as much as £230 million from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57bn, a new high for an F1 team.