Lando Norris Tops Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice Session
The British driver has beaten Oscar Piastri at each of the past five grands prix.
Lando Norris edged out fellow driver and championship contender the Australian for the quickest lap in the closing stages of practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The British racer, who took the title advantage from Piastri by one point after winning in Mexico City a fortnight back, outpaced the Australian by a mere 0.023s.
Until that point, Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver for most of the session before sprint qualifying set to begin at 6:30 PM GMT.
The Red Bull star, the sole remaining contender in the championship fight, sitting with a 36-point deficit behind Norris, finished in 17th position as his Red Bull team ran a unique setup.
Verstappen's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was the sole competitor to crash, though minor, when he lost control at Turn Four during the early running.
The Japanese slid over the track edges before rotating through the escape zone, and was fortunate to avoid just a light touch of the barrier.
The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also spun, at the final moments of the practice, spinning around through the quick descending corner approaching the last turn on to the start-finish straight.
The veteran finished practice in 19th place, just behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren pair were significantly quicker of the other competitors, with the German's car third fastest, 0.619 seconds slower than Piastri's pace.
The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso was fourth quickest, with the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and Alpine's Gasly and Williams' Carlos Sainz.
