Lando Norris Edges Out Oscar Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice
Lando Norris has outperformed Oscar Piastri at all of the previous five grands prix.
Lando Norris edged out fellow driver and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the quickest lap in the closing stages of the practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The British racer, who took the points lead from his teammate by just one point after his victory in the Mexican Grand Prix a fortnight back, topped the Australian by a tiny margin of 0.023secs.
Before then, Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver throughout the hour before the sprint shootout set to begin at the evening session.
The Red Bull star, the only other driver in realistic title contention, trailing with a 36-point deficit behind Norris, finished in 17th position as his Red Bull team opted for a different programme.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the only driver to go off, albeit lightly, when he lost control at Turn Four soon after starting.
The Japanese lost control over the curbs on exit before spinning across the gravel trap, and was lucky to escape with just a slight brush of the wall.
Ferrari's the seven-time champion also had a spin, at the final moments of the practice, rotating twice through the fast downhill Mergulho turn before the final bend on to the pit straight.
Hamilton wrapped up in P19, one place behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren drivers were well clear of the remaining drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg's car in third, 0.619 seconds behind the Australian's time.
The Aston Martin of the Spanish driver was in fourth, with the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto in front of Mercedes' George Russell and Alpine's Gasly and Williams' Carlos Sainz.