Norris Edges Out Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice
Lando Norris has outperformed Oscar Piastri at each of the past five grands prix.
The McLaren driver edged out team-mate and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the quickest lap in the final moments of practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The British racer, who grabbed the title advantage from his teammate by one point after winning in Mexico City recently, topped the Melbourne-born driver by a tiny margin of 0.023secs.
Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair during the running before the sprint shootout scheduled for 6:30 PM GMT.
The Red Bull star, the other racer in realistic title contention, trailing 36 points behind Norris, finished in P17 as his team opted for a different programme.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to go off, though minor, when he lost control at corner four early in the session.
The Japanese spun out over the exit kerbs before rotating through the gravel trap, and was fortunate to get away with just a light touch 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 corner leading to the final bend on to the main straight.
The veteran finished practice in 19th place, just behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren drivers were well clear of the other competitors, with the German's Sauber P3, 0.619secs off Piastri's pace.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was in fourth, with the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto ahead of Mercedes' Russell and Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Williams' Sainz.
