Norris Leads Oscar Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice Session
Lando Norris has beaten his teammate at each of the past five grands prix.
The McLaren driver edged out team-mate and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the fastest time in the final moments of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Norris, who took the points lead from his teammate by one point after taking the win in the Mexican Grand Prix a fortnight back, outpaced the Melbourne-born driver by a mere 0.023s.
Until that point, Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver throughout the hour before the sprint shootout scheduled for the evening session.
Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in the championship fight, trailing 36 points behind Norris, ended up in P17 as his team opted for a alternative strategy.
His teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to crash, if briefly, when he rotated at the fourth corner during the early running.
The Japanese slid over the exit kerbs before sliding over the escape zone, and was fortunate to get away with just a slight brush of the barrier.
The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also lost it, at the final moments of the practice, turning around through the fast downhill corner approaching the last turn on to the pit straight.
Hamilton ended the session in P19, one place behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren pair were well clear of the other competitors, with Nico Hulkenberg's car in third, 0.619 seconds slower than Piastri's pace.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was fourth quickest, with Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto in front of Mercedes' Russell and Alpine's Gasly and Williams' Sainz.
