Norris Leads Piastri in Brazilian Practice Session
Lando Norris has beaten Oscar Piastri at all of the last five grands prix.
The McLaren driver narrowly beat fellow driver and title rival Oscar Piastri for the top spot in the closing stages of the practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Norris, who seized the championship lead from his teammate by just one point after winning in the Mexican Grand Prix recently, beat the Melbourne-born driver by 0.023 seconds.
Until that point, Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver during the running before sprint qualifying due at the evening session.
Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in the championship fight, sitting 36 points behind Norris, was classified in 17th place as his Red Bull team ran a alternative strategy.
His teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the sole competitor to crash, albeit lightly, when he rotated at Turn Four early in the session.
The Japanese spun out over the track edges before sliding over the run-off area, and was blessed to escape with just a slight brush of the barrier.
The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also lost it, at the very end of the practice, turning around through the fast downhill Mergulho turn approaching the final corner on to the pit straight.
Hamilton wrapped up in P19, trailing team-mate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren pair were far ahead of the rest of the field, with Nico Hulkenberg's car in third, 0.619 seconds off Piastri's pace.
Aston Martin's the Spanish driver was in fourth, with Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto fifth from Mercedes' George Russell and Alpine's Gasly and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.
