Norris Tops Piastri in Brazilian Practice
Lando Norris has beaten Oscar Piastri at all of the last five grands prix.
Lando Norris edged out fellow driver and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the top spot in the closing stages of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The British racer, who grabbed the title advantage from his teammate by just one point after taking the win in the Mexican Grand Prix two weeks ago, topped the Australian by a tiny margin of 0.023secs.
Before then, Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver during the running before sprint qualifying scheduled for 18:30 GMT.
The Red Bull star, the sole remaining contender in the championship fight, lying 36 points behind Norris, finished in P17 as his Red Bull team ran a alternative strategy.
His teammate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to crash, though minor, when he spun at the fourth corner during the early running.
The Japanese slid over the track edges before sliding over the gravel trap, and was blessed to escape with just a minor contact of the wall.
Ferrari's the seven-time champion also had a spin, at the conclusion of the practice, spinning around through the fast downhill Mergulho turn before the last turn on to the start-finish straight.
The seven-time champion ended the session in 19th, one place behind teammate the Monegasque driver.
The McLaren pair were far ahead of the other competitors, with Nico Hulkenberg's car third fastest, over half a second slower than the Australian's time.
The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso was in fourth, with the Sauber of Bortoleto in front of Mercedes' Russell and Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Williams' Carlos Sainz.
