Lando Norris Edges Out Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice
Lando Norris has beaten Oscar Piastri at each of the last five race weekends.
Lando Norris just pipped team-mate and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the top spot in the closing stages of the practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Norris, who seized the points lead from his teammate by one point after his victory in the Mexican Grand Prix recently, beat the Melbourne-born driver by a tiny margin of 0.023secs.
Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver throughout the hour before the sprint shootout due at 18:30 GMT.
The Red Bull star, the sole remaining contender in realistic title contention, trailing with a 36-point deficit Norris, finished in P17 as his team followed a unique setup.
Verstappen's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was the sole competitor to go off, albeit lightly, when he spun at Turn Four soon after starting.
The Japanese slid over the exit kerbs before rotating through the gravel trap, and was lucky to get away with just a minor contact of the fence.
The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also spun, at the conclusion of the practice, turning around through the quick descending Mergulho corner before the last turn on to the start-finish straight.
The veteran wrapped up in P19, just behind teammate the Monegasque driver.
The McLaren pair were far ahead of the rest of the field, with Nico Hulkenberg's car P3, over half a second slower than Piastri's pace.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was in fourth, with the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto fifth from Mercedes' Russell and the Alpine of Gasly and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.
