Lando Norris Leads Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice Session
Lando Norris has beaten Oscar Piastri at each of the past five grands prix.
The McLaren driver edged out team-mate and championship contender the Australian for the fastest time in the final moments of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The British racer, who seized the championship lead from his teammate by one point after taking the win in Mexico City recently, outpaced the Australian by 0.023 seconds.
Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the leading McLaren throughout the hour before the sprint shootout scheduled for 18:30 GMT.
Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in realistic title contention, sitting with a 36-point deficit Norris, was classified in P17 as his Red Bull team opted for a alternative strategy.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the only driver to go off, albeit lightly, when he lost control at the fourth corner soon after starting.
The Japanese lost control over the track edges before rotating through the gravel trap, and was blessed to avoid just a slight brush of the fence.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton also had a spin, at the very end of the practice, rotating twice through the fast downhill Mergulho corner before the last turn on to the start-finish straight.
The seven-time champion finished practice in 19th, trailing teammate the Monegasque driver.
Norris and Piastri were far ahead of the remaining drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber third fastest, over half a second behind Piastri's pace.
Aston Martin's the Spanish driver was fourth quickest, with the Sauber of Bortoleto fifth from Mercedes' George Russell and the Alpine of Gasly and Williams' Sainz.
