Norris Tops Oscar Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice
Lando Norris has beaten Oscar Piastri at each of the past five race weekends.
The McLaren driver narrowly beat fellow driver and title rival Oscar Piastri for the top spot in the closing stages of practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Norris, who seized the points lead from his teammate by just one point after his victory in the Mexican Grand Prix recently, topped the Australian by 0.023 seconds.
Earlier in the session, Oscar Piastri had been the leading McLaren during the running before the sprint shootout due at 6:30 PM GMT.
Max Verstappen, the other racer in the points battle, trailing with a 36-point deficit behind Norris, ended up in 17th position as his team opted for a unique setup.
His teammate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to crash, though minor, when he rotated at Turn Four soon after starting.
Tsunoda lost control over the curbs on exit before spinning across the run-off area, and was blessed to avoid just a minor contact of the wall.
Ferrari's 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 pit straight.
The seven-time champion ended the session in 19th place, one place behind teammate the Monegasque driver.
The McLaren drivers were significantly quicker of the rest of the field, with the German's car in third, 0.619secs behind the Australian's time.
The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso was in fourth, with Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto ahead of the Mercedes of George Russell and Alpine's Gasly and Williams' Sainz.
