🔗 Share this article

Amid the excitement surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is keeping a calm demeanor regarding his prospects of claiming his first drivers' championship.

The British driver currently holds a two-dozen point advantage over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only up to 83 points up for grabs across the remaining trio of races. However, after pulling off a extraordinary recovery from 34 points behind Piastri following the Zandvoort race in the summer, Norris is concentrating on executing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the top of the standings.

"Things can quickly go in the other direction once more even though I don't want it to," he commented. "That's racing, as we all know. You can get lucky. Other times you also be unfortunate. Whatever it may be. There's really no point getting excited or thinking about it. I continue to do see it as something that remains distant."

Norris has found his peak performance at a crucial moment—after difficulties with the vehicle in the opening half of the campaign—at the same time that Piastri has shed the controlled, almost flawless ease that had for so long made him appear to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris kept a impressive level of composure throughout, asserting even in the face of challenges—such as his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his strategy and approach each session with the same unwavering attention to detail. This approach has paid off.

Meanwhile, McLaren have worked hard to attempt to maintain a level playing field for their pair of racers, and it has on occasion been a rather difficult process, especially at the Italian Grand Prix when the squad directed the Australian to cede the runner-up spot to Norris after he had fallen behind due to a delayed tire change. Some fans were unhappy with what was considered McLaren unnecessarily manipulating their drivers.

The championship leader has claimed victory in the last two grands prix, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was jeered on the podium at each, yet he remained unfazed. "Once you are on top, a lot of people try to undermine you. They don't like seeing you winning. I consider it a good thing," he said.

"It makes me laugh. While standing on the winner's stage in Interlagos, I truly loved it. The experience was very enjoyable. At last you feel like you are achieving something right.

"It doesn't bother me, provided that I come out on top. If I feel like I am competing the correct way, and I think that's the case, as long as I am confident I'm putting hard work into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, then I am not concerned with external opinions."

Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be conquered, and it is not a track suited to the British team. It shares characteristics with Montreal and Baku: low downforce, cool temperatures, and slippery surfaces. They are the sole pair of circuits this season where the papaya squad have failed to claim at least one top-three finish, and the leader was circumspect again about their prospects in Nevada. Yet, his task in the short term is straightforward: finish in ahead of his teammate and the points he requires will follow.

Practice Shows Mixed Results for Championship Contenders

The Ferrari driver topped the leaderboard in FP1 on what was still a sandy and extremely low-grip surface. Alex Albon was second, with the Red Bull star in fourth, Norris in P6, and the Australian in eighth. During the more representative evening session of FP2, the Briton was fastest from the Silver Arrows of Kimi Antonelli, with his teammate down in fourteenth; though, the session lost almost all of the last third of running to check a suspected loose manhole cover at turn 17.

This problem is treated with caution on a temporary track where, at the first Nevada GP held in 2023, a loose drain cover smashed into the Ferrari, heavily damaging it and causing the practice to be ended.

The German Team Confirm Stake Sale

Mercedes 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 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 could earn up to £230m from the sale, with the Brackley-based outfit having been valued at £4.57 billion, a new high for an F1 team.