Norris Leads Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice
Lando Norris has outscored Oscar Piastri at each of the past five grands prix.
The McLaren driver edged out team-mate and title rival the Australian for the fastest time in the final moments of the practice session at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Norris, who seized the title advantage from Piastri by a single point after his victory in the Mexican Grand Prix two weeks ago, outpaced the Australian by a mere 0.023s.
Until that point, Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver throughout the hour before sprint qualifying set to begin at 6:30 PM GMT.
Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in realistic title contention, sitting 36 points behind behind Norris, ended up in P17 as his team opted for a unique setup.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to crash, albeit lightly, when he rotated at the fourth corner soon after starting.
The Japanese lost control over the track edges before spinning across the gravel trap, and was lucky to escape with just a slight brush of the barrier.
Ferrari's the seven-time champion also had a spin, at the conclusion of the practice, turning around through the high-speed corner before the final corner on to the pit straight.
The seven-time champion ended the session in 19th place, trailing teammate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren drivers were far ahead of the rest of the field, with the German's car P3, 0.619 seconds off Piastri's best.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was in fourth, with the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto ahead of the Mercedes of George Russell and the Alpine of Pierre Gasly and Williams' Sainz.
