Norris Leads Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice
Lando Norris has outscored Oscar Piastri at each of the last five grands prix.
Lando Norris just pipped team-mate and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the fastest time in the final moments of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The British racer, who took the title advantage from Piastri by one point after taking the win in the Mexican Grand Prix a fortnight back, topped the Melbourne-born driver by a tiny margin of 0.023secs.
Earlier in the session, Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair for most of the session before sprint qualifying due at 18:30 GMT.
Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in realistic title contention, lying 36 points behind Norris, ended up in 17th place as his team followed a unique setup.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the only driver to go off, if briefly, when he lost control at the fourth corner during the early running.
The Japanese spun out over the exit kerbs before spinning across the escape zone, and was blessed to escape with just a light touch of the fence.
The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also lost it, at the final moments of the practice, spinning around through the high-speed Mergulho corner leading to the final corner on to the pit straight.
The seven-time champion wrapped up in P19, one place behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren drivers were significantly quicker of the other competitors, with the German's car third fastest, 0.619secs off Piastri's best.
The Aston Martin of the Spanish driver was fourth fastest, with Sauber's Bortoleto ahead of Mercedes' Russell and Alpine's Gasly and the Williams of Sainz.
