Lando Norris Edges Out Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice
The British driver has beaten Oscar Piastri at all of the last five grands prix.
Lando Norris just pipped team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri for the quickest lap in the closing stages of the practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The British racer, who seized the title advantage from his teammate by one point after winning in the Mexican Grand Prix a fortnight back, beat the Melbourne-born driver by a tiny margin of 0.023secs.
Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair throughout the hour before the sprint shootout due at the evening session.
Max Verstappen, the other racer in the championship fight, lying with a 36-point deficit behind Norris, was classified in P17 as his team followed a unique setup.
His teammate the Japanese driver was the only driver to go off, though minor, when he lost control at corner four early in the session.
Tsunoda lost control over the exit kerbs before spinning across the escape zone, and was fortunate to avoid just a slight brush of the fence.
The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also spun, at the final moments of the session, spinning around through the fast downhill Mergulho turn leading to the final bend on to the start-finish straight.
The seven-time champion finished practice in P19, just behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
Norris and Piastri were far ahead of the rest of the field, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber in third, over half a second off Piastri's pace.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was fourth fastest, with Sauber's Bortoleto in front of the Mercedes of Russell and the Alpine of Pierre Gasly and Williams' Sainz.
