Lando Norris Leads Oscar Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice Session
Lando Norris has beaten Oscar Piastri at all of the past five grands prix.
Lando Norris just pipped fellow driver and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the quickest lap in the closing stages of the practice session at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Norris, who seized the championship lead from his teammate by one point after taking the win in the Mexican Grand Prix a fortnight back, topped the Australian by a mere 0.023s.
Earlier in the session, Piastri had been the leading McLaren for most of the session before the sprint shootout set to begin at 6:30 PM GMT.
Max Verstappen, the other racer in the championship fight, sitting 36 points behind Norris, was classified in P17 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 the fourth corner during the early running.
Tsunoda lost control over the exit kerbs before sliding over the escape zone, and was fortunate to get away with just a slight brush of the barrier.
The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also had a spin, at the conclusion of the session, turning around through the high-speed corner leading to the final corner on to the start-finish straight.
The veteran finished practice in 19th, just behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren drivers were well clear of the remaining drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber P3, 0.619secs behind the Australian's time.
Aston Martin's the Spanish driver was fourth quickest, with the Sauber of Bortoleto in front of the Mercedes of Russell and Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Williams' Carlos Sainz.
