Lando Norris Edges Out Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice
Lando Norris has outscored his teammate at all of the previous five race weekends.
Lando Norris edged out fellow driver and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the top spot in the closing stages of the practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The British racer, who seized the title advantage from Piastri by a single point after winning in the Mexican Grand Prix a fortnight back, topped the Melbourne-born driver by a mere 0.023s.
Until that point, Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver throughout the hour before sprint qualifying set to begin at 18:30 GMT.
Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in realistic title contention, lying 36 points Norris, was classified in 17th position as his Red Bull team opted for a unique setup.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to crash, if briefly, when he lost control at the fourth corner soon after starting.
The Japanese spun out over the exit kerbs before spinning across the escape zone, and was fortunate to avoid just a light touch of the barrier.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton also spun, at the final moments of the session, rotating twice through the quick descending Mergulho turn leading to the final bend on to the pit straight.
Hamilton wrapped up in 19th, just behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren pair were far ahead of the rest of the field, with the German's car P3, 0.619 seconds slower than Piastri's best.
The Aston Martin of the Spanish driver was in fourth, with the Sauber of Bortoleto in front of the Mercedes of George Russell and Alpine's Gasly and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.
