Lando Norris Edges Out Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice Session
Lando Norris has outperformed Oscar Piastri at each of the past five race weekends.
The McLaren driver narrowly beat fellow driver and title rival Oscar Piastri for the top spot in the final moments of the practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The British racer, who seized the title advantage from his teammate by just one point after his victory in the Mexican Grand Prix two weeks ago, beat the Australian by a tiny margin of 0.023secs.
Until that point, Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver during the running before the sprint shootout due at 6:30 PM GMT.
The Red Bull star, the only other driver in the points battle, sitting 36 points behind Norris, ended up in 17th position as his Red Bull team followed a unique setup.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the only driver to crash, though minor, when he rotated at the fourth corner soon after starting.
The Japanese spun out over the track edges before rotating through the escape zone, and was lucky to escape with just a light touch of the barrier.
The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also had a spin, at the conclusion of the practice, rotating twice through the quick descending corner leading to the final bend on to the pit straight.
The veteran finished practice in 19th, trailing teammate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren drivers were well clear of the rest of the field, with the German's car P3, 0.619secs off the Australian's time.
The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso was fourth quickest, with Sauber's Bortoleto fifth from Mercedes' George Russell and Alpine's Gasly and the Williams of Sainz.
