Lando Norris Leads Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice Session
The British driver has outperformed Oscar Piastri at all of the last five race weekends.
Lando Norris narrowly beat fellow driver and title rival Oscar Piastri for the fastest time in the final moments of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Norris, who took the championship lead from Piastri by a single point after his victory in Mexico City two weeks ago, outpaced the Melbourne-born driver by a tiny margin of 0.023secs.
Before then, Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver throughout the hour before the sprint shootout due at 6:30 PM GMT.
Max Verstappen, the other racer in the championship fight, sitting 36 points Norris, finished in 17th position as his team followed a different programme.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to crash, though minor, when he spun at corner four during the early running.
The Japanese lost control over the exit kerbs before sliding over the escape zone, and was fortunate to get away with just a light touch of the wall.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton also had a spin, at the final moments of the practice, rotating twice through the fast downhill corner leading to the last turn on to the start-finish straight.
The seven-time champion wrapped up in P19, one place behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Norris and Piastri were far ahead of the rest of the field, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber third fastest, over half a second behind Piastri's pace.
Aston Martin's the Spanish driver was fourth fastest, with the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and Alpine's Gasly and Williams' Carlos Sainz.
