Lando Norris Leads Piastri in Brazilian Practice Session
Lando Norris has beaten Oscar Piastri at all of the previous five race weekends.
Lando Norris edged out team-mate and championship contender the Australian for the quickest lap in the closing stages of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Norris, who took the points lead from his teammate by a single point after winning in the Mexican Grand Prix recently, outpaced the Melbourne-born driver by 0.023 seconds.
Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair throughout the hour before the sprint shootout due at the evening session.
Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in realistic title contention, trailing with a 36-point deficit Norris, finished in 17th position as his team ran a alternative strategy.
His teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to go off, if briefly, when he spun at the fourth corner early in the session.
Tsunoda spun out over the curbs on exit before rotating through the escape zone, and was blessed to escape with just a slight brush of the wall.
The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also lost it, at the very end of the practice, turning around through the high-speed Mergulho turn before the final bend on to the start-finish straight.
The seven-time champion ended the session in P19, just behind team-mate the Monegasque driver.
Norris and Piastri were significantly quicker of the remaining drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg's car in third, over half a second slower than Piastri's best.
The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso was fourth fastest, with Sauber's Bortoleto fifth from Mercedes' George Russell and the Alpine of Pierre Gasly and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.
