Lando Norris Edges Out Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice Session
The British driver has outscored Oscar Piastri at all of the last five grands prix.
Lando Norris narrowly beat team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri for the top spot in the closing stages of practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Norris, who took the championship lead from Piastri by a single point after his victory in Mexico City a fortnight back, outpaced the Australian by a mere 0.023s.
Until that point, Piastri had been the leading McLaren for most of the session before the sprint shootout set to begin at 18:30 GMT.
Max Verstappen, the other racer in realistic title contention, lying 36 points Norris, was classified in 17th position as his team opted for a unique setup.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the only driver to crash, if briefly, when he spun at Turn Four during the early running.
Tsunoda slid over the track edges before rotating through the run-off area, and was fortunate to get away with just a slight brush of the wall.
Ferrari's the seven-time champion also had a spin, at the conclusion of the practice, spinning around through the high-speed Mergulho turn leading to the final bend on to the main straight.
The seven-time champion wrapped up in 19th, just behind team-mate the Monegasque driver.
The McLaren drivers were well clear of the rest of the field, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber in third, over half a second behind Piastri's best.
The Aston Martin of the Spanish driver was in fourth, with Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto ahead of Mercedes' Russell and Alpine's Gasly and Williams' Carlos Sainz.
