Lando Norris Leads Piastri in Brazilian Practice Session
Lando Norris has outperformed Oscar Piastri at each of the previous five grands prix.
The McLaren driver just pipped fellow driver and championship contender the Australian for the fastest time in the final moments of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Norris, who grabbed the championship lead from Piastri by a single point after winning in Mexico City two weeks ago, outpaced the Melbourne-born driver by 0.023 seconds.
Earlier in the session, Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair for most of the session before the sprint shootout set to begin at 6:30 PM GMT.
The Red Bull star, the only other driver in realistic title contention, sitting 36 points 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, though minor, when he lost control at Turn Four early in the session.
Tsunoda slid over the track edges before rotating through the escape zone, and was lucky to get away with just a minor contact of the wall.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton also had a spin, at the conclusion of the session, spinning around through the fast downhill Mergulho turn before the final corner on to the pit straight.
The seven-time champion ended the session in 19th place, one place behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren pair were well clear of the other competitors, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber in third, 0.619 seconds off Piastri's pace.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was in fourth, with the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto ahead of Mercedes' Russell and the Alpine of Gasly and the Williams of Sainz.
