Lando Norris Tops Piastri in Brazilian Practice
The British driver has outperformed Oscar Piastri at all of the past five grands prix.
Lando Norris just pipped fellow driver and title rival Oscar Piastri for the quickest lap in the closing stages of the practice session at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The British racer, who took the championship lead from his teammate by just one point after taking the win in Mexico City two weeks ago, outpaced the Australian by 0.023 seconds.
Earlier in the session, Piastri had been the leading McLaren throughout the hour before the sprint shootout due at the evening session.
The Red Bull star, the only other driver in the points battle, trailing 36 points behind Norris, finished in P17 as his team followed a different programme.
His teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to crash, if briefly, when he spun at corner four early in the session.
The Japanese slid over the curbs on exit before sliding over the run-off area, and was lucky to get away with just a light touch of the wall.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton also had a spin, at the conclusion of the practice, spinning around through the high-speed Mergulho turn approaching the final bend on to the start-finish straight.
Hamilton ended the session in 19th, just behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
Norris and Piastri were far ahead of the remaining drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber in third, over half a second off Piastri's pace.
Aston Martin's the Spanish driver was fourth fastest, with the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto ahead of the Mercedes of Russell and Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Williams' Carlos Sainz.
