Lando Norris Edges Out Piastri in Brazilian Practice
The British driver has outscored his teammate at all of the previous five race weekends.
Lando Norris edged out fellow driver 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 grabbed the title advantage from Piastri by just one point after his victory in the Mexican Grand Prix recently, beat the Australian by 0.023 seconds.
Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair during the running before the sprint shootout set to begin at the evening session.
Max Verstappen, the only other driver in realistic title contention, sitting 36 points Norris, finished in 17th position as his team ran a alternative strategy.
His teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the sole competitor to crash, if briefly, when he lost control at Turn Four soon after starting.
The Japanese slid over the exit kerbs before sliding over the escape zone, and was fortunate to avoid just a light touch of the fence.
The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also spun, at the conclusion of the session, rotating twice through the fast downhill corner before the final bend on to the pit straight.
Hamilton ended the session in 19th place, one place behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Norris and Piastri were well clear of the rest of the field, with Nico Hulkenberg's car P3, 0.619secs slower than Piastri's best.
Aston Martin's the Spanish driver was fourth fastest, with the Sauber of Bortoleto in front of the Mercedes of George Russell and Alpine's Gasly and Williams' Carlos Sainz.
