🔗 Share this article

Amid the hype around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren's lead driver is keeping a calm demeanor about his prospects of claiming his maiden drivers' championship.

Norris currently has a 24-point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by 49 points, with just up to 83 points available across the final three events. However, after pulling off a remarkable recovery from a significant deficit his teammate after the Zandvoort race in August, Norris is concentrating on performing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the lead of the standings.

"It can quickly go the opposite way once more as much as I hope it doesn't," he stated. "That's motorsport, as we all know. Sometimes you also have luck. You can end up unfortunate. No matter what happens. There's really no point getting excited or thinking about it. I continue to view it as something that remains distant."

The 26-year-old has found his best form at a critical moment—having struggled with the car in the first part of the season—while his teammate has lost the controlled, nearly flawless ease that previously made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Importantly, Norris maintained a remarkable level of equanimity throughout, asserting despite setbacks—such as his retirement from the Dutch GP—that he would adhere to his gameplan and work each session with the same unwavering attention to detail. This approach has paid off.

All the while, McLaren have worked hard to try to preserve a fair competition for their two drivers, and it has at times been a rather torturous experience, especially at the Italian Grand Prix when the team directed the Australian to surrender the runner-up spot to his teammate after he had fallen behind because of a delayed tire change. Certain spectators were unhappy with what was considered the team unnecessarily manipulating their competitors.

Norris has claimed victory in the last two races, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was jeered on the podium at both, leaving him unfazed. "When you're on top, a lot of individuals want to bring you down. They don't like seeing you winning. I consider it a positive sign," he remarked.

"It just amuses me. When I was on the podium in Interlagos, I truly loved it. It was quite satisfying. You finally sense that you are achieving something right.

"I don't mind, as long as I win. As long as I believe I'm doing it the right way, and I think that's the case, so long as I am confident I am dedicating effort into remaining true to myself and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed with external opinions."

Vegas, on the other hand, must be conquered, and it is not a track ideal for the British team. The layout has characteristics with Canada and Baku: low downforce, chilly conditions, and low grip. These are the only two circuits this season where McLaren have failed to claim at least one top-three finish, and Norris was circumspect again about their chances in Nevada. Yet, his objective in the immediate future is straightforward: finish in ahead of his teammate and the championship tally he needs will follow.

Friday Running Sees Mixed Outcomes for Championship Contenders

The Ferrari driver topped the leaderboard in FP1 on what was remained a sandy and extremely low-grip surface. Alex Albon was second, with Verstappen in fourth, the McLaren ace in P6, and Piastri eighth. During the more representative evening session of FP2, Norris was quickest from the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri down in fourteenth; though, the session was interrupted for almost all of the last third of running to check a suspected loose manhole cover at turn 17.

The issue is taken seriously on a street circuit where, at the first Nevada GP held in 2023, a loose drain cover struck Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, severely damaging it and causing the practice to be aborted.

Mercedes Announce Stake Transaction

Mercedes have revealed that their boss Toto Wolff has sold a 15% stake in his holding company, representing a 5% share in the squad, to US tycoon the cybersecurity magnate. The investor is the CEO and founder of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. The team principal will remain as boss and could earn up to £230m from the sale, with Mercedes having been appraised at £4.57 billion, a new high for an F1 team.