Lando Norris Edges Out Piastri in Brazilian Practice
Lando Norris has beaten Oscar Piastri at each of the previous five grands prix.
Lando Norris edged out fellow driver and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the top spot in the final moments of the practice session at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The British racer, who grabbed the title advantage from his teammate by a single point after his victory in the Mexican Grand Prix recently, beat the Melbourne-born driver by a tiny margin of 0.023secs.
Earlier in the session, Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver for most of the session before sprint qualifying due at 18:30 GMT.
The Red Bull star, the only other driver in the points battle, trailing 36 points Norris, finished in 17th position as his team opted for a different programme.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the only driver to go off, if briefly, when he lost control at corner four during the early running.
The Japanese slid over the exit kerbs before spinning across the gravel trap, and was fortunate to get away with just a minor contact of the wall.
The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also spun, at the conclusion of the practice, spinning around through the quick descending Mergulho corner before the final bend on to the main straight.
The seven-time champion ended the session in 19th, just behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren pair were well clear of the rest of the field, with the German's Sauber P3, over half a second slower than Piastri's best.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was fourth quickest, with the Sauber of Bortoleto in front of the Mercedes of George Russell and the Alpine of Gasly and the Williams of Sainz.
