Lando Norris Edges Out Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice
Lando Norris has outperformed his teammate at all of the last five grands prix.
Lando Norris narrowly beat team-mate and title rival the Australian for the quickest lap in the dying seconds of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The British racer, who took the championship lead from his teammate by just one point after taking the win in Mexico City recently, outpaced the Melbourne-born driver by a mere 0.023s.
Earlier in the session, Piastri had been the leading McLaren throughout the hour before sprint qualifying scheduled for 18:30 GMT.
Max Verstappen, the other racer in realistic title contention, sitting 36 points behind behind Norris, was classified in P17 as his team opted for a unique setup.
Verstappen's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to crash, albeit lightly, when he spun at corner four soon after starting.
The Japanese spun out over the curbs on exit before sliding over the gravel trap, and was fortunate to escape with just a minor contact of the barrier.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton also spun, at the conclusion of the session, turning around through the high-speed Mergulho corner approaching the final bend on to the main straight.
The seven-time champion finished practice in P19, trailing team-mate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren pair were well clear of the rest of the field, with the German's car P3, 0.619secs slower than Piastri's best.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was in fourth, with the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto in front of Mercedes' Russell and Alpine's Gasly and the Williams of Sainz.
