Norris Tops Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice Session
Lando Norris has outscored Oscar Piastri at all of the last five grands prix.
Lando Norris just pipped team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri for the quickest lap in the final moments of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The British racer, who seized the points lead from his teammate by a single point after taking the win in Mexico City two weeks ago, outpaced the Melbourne-born driver by a tiny margin of 0.023secs.
Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the leading McLaren during the running before the sprint shootout due at the evening session.
The Red Bull star, the sole remaining contender in the points battle, sitting 36 points Norris, ended up in P17 as his team followed a unique setup.
His teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to go off, albeit lightly, when he spun at the fourth corner soon after starting.
The Japanese slid over the track edges before sliding over the run-off area, and was blessed to escape with just a minor contact of the wall.
The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also had a spin, at the very end of the practice, spinning around through the quick descending Mergulho turn before the last turn on to the main straight.
Hamilton finished practice in 19th place, one place behind teammate the Monegasque driver.
The McLaren drivers were far ahead of the other competitors, with the German's Sauber third fastest, 0.619secs off the Australian's time.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was in fourth, with the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and the Alpine of Gasly and the Williams of Sainz.
