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Amid all hype surrounding the Sin City Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is maintaining a level head about his chances of claiming his first drivers' championship.

Norris currently has a 24-point lead over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with just a maximum of eighty-three points available across the remaining trio of events. However, after pulling off a remarkable comeback from 34 points behind his teammate following the Zandvoort race in August, Norris is concentrating on executing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the top of the standings.

"Things can easily go the opposite way once more even though I don't want it to," he commented. "That's racing, 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 continue to do see it as a goal that's quite distant."

Norris has found his best form at a crucial moment—after difficulties with the car in the first part of the campaign—at the same time that his teammate has lost the controlled, nearly perfect composure that previously made him seem to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris kept a remarkable level of equanimity all along, asserting even in the face of setbacks—like his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his gameplan and approach every outing with the same unwavering focus on specifics. It has paid off.

Meanwhile, McLaren have worked hard to try to maintain a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has at times been a rather torturous experience, most notably at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad directed the Australian to cede second place to his teammate following he had lost the spot due to a slow pit stop. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was considered the team unnecessarily manipulating their drivers.

Norris 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 unmoved. "Once you are on top, many people try to bring you down. They don't want to see you succeeding. I consider it a positive sign," he said.

"It makes me laugh. When I was on the winner's stage in Interlagos, I really loved it. It was very satisfying. You finally sense that you are achieving something right.

"It doesn't bother me, 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, 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."

Vegas, meanwhile, must be mastered, and it is not a track ideal for the McLaren. It shares similarities with Montreal and Baku: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and slippery surfaces. These are the sole pair of tracks this season where McLaren have been unable to claim at least one top-three finish, and the leader was circumspect again about their chances this weekend. Still, his task in the short term is simple: finish in front of his teammate and the championship tally he requires will follow.

Practice Shows Varied Outcomes for Title Rivals

Charles Leclerc led the leaderboard in first practice on what was remained a sandy and extremely slippery track. Alex Albon was runner-up, with Verstappen fourth, Norris in P6, and the Australian in eighth. In the more representative night running of second practice, the Briton was fastest from the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with his teammate 14th; however, the practice was interrupted for almost all of the last third of track time to check a reported loose manhole cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the inaugural Nevada GP staged in 2023, a loose manhole struck Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, severely harming it and leading to the practice to be ended.

Mercedes Announce Stake Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their team principal the Austrian executive has sold a 15% stake in his investment firm, equating to a five percent ownership in the squad, to US tycoon George Kurtz. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company the tech giant. Wolff will stay on as boss and could earn as much as £230 million from the sale, with Mercedes having been appraised at £4.57 billion, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.