🔗 Share this article

Despite all excitement around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is keeping a calm demeanor regarding his prospects of claiming his first drivers' championship.

Norris presently has a 24-point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and is ahead of Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with just a maximum of 83 points available across the final three events. 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 lifted him to the top of the standings.

"Things can quickly turn the opposite way again even though I don't want it to," he commented. "That's racing, you know. Sometimes you get lucky. Other times you end up unfortunate. Whatever it may be. It's no point getting excited or dwelling on it. I continue to view it as something that's quite distant."

Norris has discovered his best form at a critical moment—after difficulties with the car in the first part of the campaign—at the same time that Piastri has shed the disciplined, nearly perfect ease that had for so long made him appear to be a champion in waiting. Notably, Norris kept a remarkable level of equanimity throughout, insisting even in the face of challenges—such as his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would adhere to his strategy and approach every outing with the same relentless attention to detail. It has paid off.

Meanwhile, the team have worked hard to attempt to preserve a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been something of difficult experience, especially at Monza when the team instructed the Australian to cede the runner-up spot to Norris after he had fallen behind because of a slow pit stop. Some fans were unhappy with what was considered the team unnecessarily interfering with their competitors.

Norris has claimed victory in the last two races, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was booed on the winner's rostrum at each, leaving him unmoved. "When you're on top, many people want to bring you down. They do not like seeing you succeeding. I see it as a positive sign," he remarked.

"It just makes me laugh. When I was on the winner's stage in Interlagos, I truly enjoyed it. The experience was very enjoyable. You finally feel like you are achieving something right.

"It doesn't bother me, provided that I come out on top. If I believe I am competing the right manner, and I think I am, as long as I feel like I'm putting hard work into being who I am and those kinds of things, then I am not concerned with external opinions."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, must be conquered, and it is not a track suited to the British team. The layout has characteristics with Montreal and Azerbaijan: low downforce, chilly conditions, and low grip. They are the sole pair of tracks this season where McLaren have failed to claim a single top-three finish, and Norris was cautious again about their chances in Nevada. Yet, his objective in the immediate future is straightforward: finish in front of Piastri and the points he needs will come.

Practice Sees Mixed Outcomes for Title Rivals

The Ferrari driver topped the times in first practice on what was still a dusty and extremely slippery surface. Alex Albon was second, with the Red Bull star fourth, the McLaren ace sixth, and the Australian in eighth. During the more indicative night running of FP2, the Briton was fastest from the Silver Arrows of Kimi Antonelli, with his teammate 14th; however, the practice lost nearly the final 20 minutes of track time to inspect a suspected loose drain cover at turn 17.

This problem is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Nevada GP staged in 2023, a dislodged manhole struck the Ferrari, heavily harming it and causing the session to be ended.

The German Team Confirm Stake Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their boss Toto Wolff has divested a 15% stake in his holding company, representing a five percent ownership in the team, to American billionaire the cybersecurity magnate. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the cybersecurity company the tech giant. The team principal will stay on as team principal and could earn up to £230m from the deal, with the Brackley-based outfit having been appraised at £4.57 billion, a new high for an F1 team.