Norris Edges Out Oscar Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice Session
Lando Norris has outscored his teammate at each of the past five race weekends.
The McLaren driver edged out fellow driver and title rival Oscar Piastri for the top spot in the closing stages of the practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Norris, who seized the championship lead from his teammate by just one point after his victory in the Mexican Grand Prix two weeks ago, outpaced the Australian by a mere 0.023s.
Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the leading McLaren throughout the hour before the sprint shootout set to begin at 6:30 PM GMT.
The Red Bull star, the other racer in realistic title contention, lying with a 36-point deficit behind Norris, was classified in 17th position as his team opted for a unique setup.
His teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to crash, if briefly, when he spun at corner four during the early running.
The Japanese spun out over the exit kerbs before spinning across the gravel trap, and was fortunate to get away with just a slight brush of the fence.
The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also lost it, at the final moments of the session, turning around through the quick descending corner approaching the final bend on to the pit straight.
Hamilton wrapped up in 19th, just behind teammate the Monegasque driver.
The McLaren drivers were well clear of the other competitors, with Nico Hulkenberg's car P3, 0.619secs behind Piastri's best.
The Aston Martin of the Spanish driver was fourth quickest, with the Sauber of Bortoleto fifth from Mercedes' Russell and Alpine's Gasly and the Williams of Sainz.
