Despite all hype surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is keeping a level head about his prospects of claiming his first world title.
The British driver currently holds a 24-point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only a maximum of 83 points up for grabs across the remaining trio of races. However, after staging a remarkable recovery from 34 points behind his teammate following the Dutch Grand Prix in the summer, Norris is focused on performing with the methodical approach that propelled him to the lead of the standings.
"Things can quickly turn the opposite way again as much as I hope it doesn't," 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 becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I continue to view it as a goal that remains far away."
The 26-year-old has found his peak performance at a critical juncture—having struggled with the vehicle in the opening half of the season—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 impressive level of equanimity all along, insisting despite challenges—such as his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would stick to his strategy and work each session with the identical relentless focus on specifics. It has paid off.
All the while, McLaren have gone to no little effort to try to preserve a level playing field for their pair of racers, and it has at times been something of difficult experience, especially at Monza when the team instructed Piastri to cede the runner-up spot to his teammate following he had fallen behind because of a slow pit stop. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was seen as the team needlessly interfering with their competitors.
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 both, leaving him unfazed. "Once you are on top, a lot of people want to bring you down. They don't want to see you succeeding. I see it as a positive sign," he remarked.
"It just amuses me. While standing on the podium in Brazil, I really enjoyed it. The experience was very enjoyable. At last you feel like you're doing success.
"It doesn't bother me, provided that I win. As long as I feel like I'm doing it the correct manner, which I feel like I am, so long as I am confident I am dedicating hard work into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed with external opinions."
Las Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be mastered, and it is a circuit suited to the McLaren. It shares similarities with Canada and Azerbaijan: low downforce, cool temperatures, and low grip. They are the sole pair of circuits this season where McLaren have failed to secure at least one top-three finish, and Norris was circumspect again about their chances in Nevada. Still, his objective in the immediate future is simple: finish in front of his teammate and the points he requires will follow.
Charles Leclerc led the leaderboard in first practice on what was still a sandy and very slippery surface. The Williams racer was second, with Verstappen in fourth, the McLaren ace sixth, and the Australian in eighth. During the more representative night running of second practice, Norris was quickest from the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri 14th; though, the practice lost almost all of the final 20 minutes of running to check a reported loose drain cover at turn 17.
The issue is treated with caution on a street circuit where, at the inaugural Las Vegas GP staged in 2023, a dislodged drain cover smashed into Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, severely damaging it and causing the practice to be ended.
The eight-time constructors' champions have confirmed that their team principal the Austrian executive has sold a fifteen percent share in his holding company, representing a five percent ownership in the team, to US tycoon George Kurtz. Kurtz is the chief executive and creator of the digital protection firm the tech giant. The team principal will stay on as team principal and may receive as much as £230 million from the deal, with Mercedes having been valued at £4.57bn, a record for an Formula 1 constructor.
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