Norris Edges Out Piastri in Brazilian Practice Session
Lando Norris has outperformed Oscar Piastri at all of the previous five grands prix.
Lando Norris edged out fellow driver and title rival the Australian for the fastest time in the dying seconds of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The British racer, who took the championship lead from Piastri by one point after winning in Mexico City two weeks ago, topped the Melbourne-born driver by 0.023 seconds.
Before then, Piastri had been the leading McLaren throughout the hour before sprint qualifying due at the evening session.
Max Verstappen, the other racer in the points battle, lying 36 points behind Norris, finished in P17 as his Red Bull team opted for a different programme.
His teammate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to go off, though minor, when he spun at the fourth corner early in the session.
The Japanese lost control over the track edges before spinning across the run-off area, and was blessed to escape with just a slight brush of the wall.
The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also had a spin, at the very end of the session, spinning around through the quick descending Mergulho corner leading to the final corner on to the main straight.
Hamilton wrapped up in 19th place, trailing teammate Charles Leclerc.
Norris and Piastri were significantly quicker of the other competitors, with the German's Sauber third fastest, over half a second off Piastri's pace.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was in fourth, with Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto in front of the Mercedes of Russell and Alpine's Gasly and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.
