Lando Norris Edges Out Oscar Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice Session
Lando Norris has outscored Oscar Piastri at each of the past five grands prix.
The McLaren driver edged out team-mate and title rival the Australian for the top spot in the closing stages of the practice session at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Norris, who took the points lead from Piastri by a single point after his victory in the Mexican Grand Prix two weeks ago, topped the Australian by 0.023 seconds.
Earlier in the session, Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver during the running before the sprint shootout due at the evening session.
Max Verstappen, the other racer in the championship fight, lying with a 36-point deficit Norris, ended up in 17th position as his team ran a unique setup.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the only driver to have an incident, if briefly, when he rotated at Turn Four during the early running.
The Japanese spun out over the curbs on exit before spinning across the gravel trap, and was blessed to escape with just a slight brush of the barrier.
The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also spun, at the final moments of the session, rotating twice through the high-speed corner before the final bend on to the start-finish straight.
The seven-time champion finished practice in 19th place, one place behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren pair were far ahead of the other competitors, with the German's Sauber P3, over half a second behind the Australian's time.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was fourth quickest, with Sauber's Bortoleto in front of Mercedes' Russell and Alpine's Gasly and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.
