Lando Norris Tops Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice
The British driver has outscored Oscar Piastri at all of the previous five race weekends.
Lando Norris narrowly beat fellow driver 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 title advantage from his teammate by just one point after his victory in the Mexican Grand Prix a fortnight back, topped the Australian by 0.023 seconds.
Earlier in the session, Oscar Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair during the running before sprint qualifying set to begin at the evening session.
Max Verstappen, the other racer in realistic title contention, sitting with a 36-point deficit behind Norris, finished in 17th place as his team opted for a unique setup.
His teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the sole competitor to have an incident, though minor, when he lost control at Turn Four during the early running.
The Japanese lost control over the track edges before spinning across the escape zone, and was fortunate to escape with just a minor contact of the barrier.
The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also lost it, at the very end of the practice, spinning around through the fast downhill corner before the final bend on to the pit straight.
The seven-time champion ended the session in 19th place, just behind team-mate the Monegasque driver.
Norris and Piastri were far ahead of the remaining drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber P3, over half a second behind the Australian's time.
The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso was fourth fastest, with the Sauber of Bortoleto in front of Mercedes' George Russell and Alpine's Pierre Gasly and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.
