Norris Edges Out Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice
Lando Norris has beaten his teammate at all of the previous five grands prix.
Lando Norris just pipped fellow driver and title rival Oscar Piastri for the top spot in the dying seconds of practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Norris, who grabbed the championship lead from his teammate by just one point after his victory in the Mexican Grand Prix a fortnight back, outpaced the Melbourne-born driver by 0.023 seconds.
Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair throughout the hour before the sprint shootout due at 6:30 PM GMT.
Max Verstappen, the only other driver in realistic title contention, trailing with a 36-point deficit behind Norris, was classified in 17th position as his team opted for a unique setup.
His teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to crash, albeit lightly, when he lost control at the fourth corner soon after starting.
The Japanese spun out over the exit kerbs before rotating through the gravel trap, and was fortunate to escape with just a minor contact of the wall.
The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also had a spin, at the final moments of the practice, spinning around through the fast downhill Mergulho corner leading to the final corner on to the start-finish straight.
Hamilton finished practice in 19th, just behind teammate the Monegasque driver.
The McLaren drivers were far ahead of the remaining drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber P3, 0.619 seconds off the Australian's time.
The Aston Martin of the Spanish driver was fourth fastest, with Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto in front of Mercedes' Russell and the Alpine of Gasly and Williams' Sainz.
