Norris Leads Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice Session
Lando Norris has outscored Oscar Piastri at each of the last five grands prix.
The McLaren driver edged out team-mate and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the fastest time in the closing stages of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The British racer, who grabbed the points lead from his teammate by a single point after his victory in the Mexican Grand Prix a fortnight back, outpaced the Australian by a tiny margin of 0.023secs.
Before then, Piastri had been the leading McLaren throughout the hour before sprint qualifying set to begin at 18:30 GMT.
The Red Bull star, the only other driver in the championship fight, sitting 36 points Norris, was classified in 17th place as his team opted for a unique setup.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to go off, albeit lightly, when he lost control at Turn Four during the early running.
The Japanese slid over the curbs on exit before sliding over the escape zone, and was lucky to escape with just a minor contact of the barrier.
Ferrari's the seven-time champion also spun, at the final moments of the session, turning around through the quick descending Mergulho turn leading to the final bend on to the pit straight.
Hamilton ended the session in 19th, one place behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Norris and Piastri were far ahead of the other competitors, with the German's Sauber P3, 0.619 seconds behind Piastri's best.
The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso was fourth quickest, with Sauber's Bortoleto fifth from Mercedes' Russell and the Alpine of Pierre Gasly and the Williams of Sainz.
