Norris Edges Out Oscar Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice Session
Lando Norris has beaten his teammate at all of the past five race weekends.
Lando Norris narrowly beat fellow driver and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the quickest lap in the final moments of the practice session at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The British racer, who grabbed the points lead from his teammate by just one point after winning in the Mexican Grand Prix a fortnight back, beat the Australian by 0.023 seconds.
Before then, Piastri had been the leading McLaren during the running before the sprint shootout set to begin at the evening session.
The Red Bull star, the sole remaining contender in the championship fight, trailing with a 36-point deficit Norris, ended up in 17th position as his Red Bull team opted for a unique setup.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to go off, albeit lightly, when he rotated at Turn Four early in the session.
The Japanese slid over the exit kerbs before rotating through the escape zone, and was lucky to get away with just a slight brush of the fence.
The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also lost it, at the very end of the session, rotating twice through the fast downhill Mergulho turn before the final bend on to the pit straight.
The seven-time champion finished practice in P19, trailing team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Norris and Piastri were significantly quicker of the remaining drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg's car P3, 0.619 seconds behind Piastri's best.
The Aston Martin of the Spanish driver was in fourth, with the Sauber of Bortoleto in front of the Mercedes of Russell and Alpine's Gasly and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.
