Lando Norris Edges Out Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice Session
Lando Norris has beaten Oscar Piastri at each of the previous five race weekends.
Lando Norris edged out team-mate and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the fastest time in the final moments of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Norris, who seized the title advantage from Piastri by one point after winning in Mexico City recently, topped the Melbourne-born driver by a mere 0.023s.
Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the leading McLaren during the running before the sprint shootout set to begin at 6:30 PM GMT.
Max Verstappen, the only other driver in realistic title contention, sitting 36 points behind Norris, finished in 17th position as his Red Bull team followed a alternative strategy.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to crash, though minor, when he spun at the fourth corner during the early running.
The Japanese spun out over the track edges before sliding over the run-off area, and was fortunate to escape with just a slight brush of the fence.
The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also had a spin, at the conclusion of the session, turning around through the fast downhill Mergulho corner approaching the last turn on to the start-finish straight.
The seven-time champion finished practice in 19th place, just behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren pair were far ahead of the remaining drivers, with the German's Sauber in third, 0.619 seconds slower than Piastri's pace.
The Aston Martin of the Spanish driver was fourth quickest, with the Sauber of Bortoleto ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and Alpine's Gasly and Williams' Carlos Sainz.
