Lando Norris Edges Out Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice
Lando Norris has beaten Oscar Piastri at all of the last five grands prix.
Lando Norris edged out team-mate and championship contender the Australian for the top spot in the dying seconds of the practice session at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The British racer, who grabbed the title advantage from Piastri by just one point after taking the win in Mexico City two weeks ago, beat the Australian by a mere 0.023s.
Earlier in the session, Piastri had been the leading McLaren throughout the hour before sprint qualifying scheduled for 6:30 PM GMT.
The Red Bull star, the other racer in the championship fight, lying 36 points behind Norris, ended up in P17 as his Red Bull team opted for a different programme.
Verstappen's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was the sole competitor to go off, though minor, when he lost control at Turn Four early in the session.
Tsunoda lost control over the track edges before rotating through the escape zone, and was fortunate to escape with just a minor contact of the fence.
The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also spun, at the conclusion of the practice, rotating twice through the high-speed Mergulho turn approaching the last turn on to the pit straight.
The veteran ended the session in 19th place, one place behind teammate the Monegasque driver.
The McLaren pair were well clear of the other competitors, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber third fastest, 0.619secs slower than Piastri's pace.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was in fourth, with the Sauber of Bortoleto in front of Mercedes' Russell and Alpine's Gasly and the Williams of Sainz.
