🔗 Share this article

Amid the excitement around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is keeping a level head about his prospects of securing his maiden drivers' championship.

Norris currently has a two-dozen point lead over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with only a maximum of 83 points up for grabs across the remaining trio of events. But, after pulling off a remarkable recovery from a significant deficit Piastri following the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is concentrating on executing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the lead of the standings.

"Things can quickly turn in the other direction again as much as I don't want it to," he commented. "That's motorsport, as we all know. You can also have luck. Other times you also be unfortunate. Whatever it may be. There's really not worth getting excited or thinking about it. I continue to view it as a goal that remains distant."

The 26-year-old has discovered his best form at a crucial juncture—after difficulties with the car in the first part of the season—while Piastri has lost the controlled, nearly flawless composure that previously made him seem to be a future title winner. Notably, Norris maintained a impressive level of equanimity throughout, insisting even in the face of setbacks—like his withdrawal from the Zandvoort race—that he would stick to his strategy and work each session with the same relentless attention to detail. This approach has yielded results.

Meanwhile, McLaren have worked hard to try to maintain a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been something of torturous experience, most notably at Monza when the team directed Piastri to surrender second place to his teammate after he had fallen behind due to a slow pit stop. Some fans were unhappy with what was considered the team unnecessarily interfering with 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 winner's rostrum at both, yet he remained unmoved. "When you're on top, many people want to undermine you. They don't like seeing you winning. I see it as a positive sign," he said.

"It just amuses me. When I was on the podium in Interlagos, I really loved it. It was very satisfying. You finally feel like you're doing something right.

"It doesn't bother me, as long as I win. If I believe I'm doing it the correct manner, which I feel like that's the case, so long as I feel like I'm putting effort into being who I am and similar principles, then I am not concerned about the rest of it."

Vegas, on the other hand, must be conquered, and it is not a track ideal for the McLaren. It shares similarities with Montreal and Azerbaijan: minimal aerodynamic grip, cool temperatures, and slippery surfaces. They are the only two tracks in the current championship where the papaya squad have failed to claim at least one top-three finish, and the leader was cautious again about their prospects this weekend. Still, his task in the short term is simple: end the race in ahead of his teammate and the points he needs will follow.

Friday Running Shows Mixed Results for Title Rivals

Charles Leclerc led the leaderboard in first practice on what was remained a dusty and extremely low-grip surface. The Williams racer was second, with the Red Bull star in fourth, Norris sixth, and Piastri in eighth. During the more representative night running of second practice, Norris was fastest from the Silver Arrows of Kimi Antonelli, with his teammate down in fourteenth; though, the practice was interrupted for almost all of the last third of track time to check a reported loose drain cover at turn 17.

This problem is taken seriously on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Nevada GP staged in 2023, a dislodged manhole struck the Ferrari, severely harming it and causing the session to be aborted.

The German Team Confirm Stake Sale

Mercedes have revealed that their boss Toto Wolff has sold a fifteen percent share in his investment firm, equating to a 5% share in the team, to US tycoon George Kurtz. Kurtz is the CEO and founder of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. The team principal will stay on as team principal and may receive as much as £230 million from the sale, with Mercedes having been valued at £4.57bn, a new high for an F1 team.