Lando Norris Edges Out Oscar Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice
Lando Norris has beaten Oscar Piastri at all of the last five grands prix.
Lando Norris narrowly beat fellow driver and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the fastest time in the closing stages of the practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The British racer, who grabbed the title advantage from his teammate by a single point after winning in Mexico City a fortnight back, outpaced the Melbourne-born driver by a tiny margin of 0.023secs.
Until that point, Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair for most of the session before sprint qualifying scheduled for the evening session.
The Red Bull star, the sole remaining contender in the championship fight, trailing 36 points Norris, ended up in 17th place as his Red Bull team opted for a alternative strategy.
Verstappen's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was the sole competitor to crash, albeit lightly, when he spun at the fourth corner early in the session.
The Japanese lost control over the curbs on exit before rotating through the escape zone, and was lucky to escape with just a slight brush of the barrier.
The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also had a spin, at the conclusion of the practice, turning around through the fast downhill Mergulho corner approaching the final bend on to the start-finish straight.
The veteran ended the session in 19th, just behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
Norris and Piastri were well clear of the remaining drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber in third, over half a second slower than the Australian's time.
Aston Martin's the Spanish driver was fourth fastest, with the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and the Alpine of Gasly and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.
