Lando Norris Tops Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice
The British driver has outscored his teammate at each of the past five race weekends.
Lando Norris edged out team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri for the top spot in the closing stages of the practice session at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The British racer, who grabbed the title advantage from his teammate by one point after winning in Mexico City recently, outpaced the Australian by 0.023 seconds.
Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair throughout the hour before sprint qualifying scheduled for 6:30 PM GMT.
Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in the championship fight, trailing 36 points behind behind Norris, finished in P17 as his team followed a unique setup.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to go off, if briefly, when he lost control at the fourth corner soon after starting.
The Japanese lost control over the track edges before rotating through the gravel trap, and was fortunate to escape with just a light touch of the wall.
The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also lost it, at the final moments of the practice, spinning around through the high-speed corner before the final corner on to the main straight.
The seven-time champion ended the session in 19th, trailing team-mate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren drivers were significantly quicker of the rest of the field, with the German's Sauber third fastest, over half a second off Piastri's best.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was fourth fastest, with Sauber's Bortoleto ahead of the Mercedes of George Russell and Alpine's Gasly and the Williams of Sainz.