Lando Norris Edges Out Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice
Lando Norris has beaten Oscar Piastri at all of the last five race weekends.
The McLaren driver just pipped fellow driver and championship contender the Australian for the top spot in the final moments of the practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The British racer, who grabbed the title advantage from Piastri by just one point after winning in Mexico City two weeks ago, beat the Melbourne-born driver by a mere 0.023s.
Earlier in the session, Piastri had been the leading McLaren throughout the hour before sprint qualifying scheduled for 6:30 PM GMT.
The Red Bull star, the other racer in the championship fight, sitting 36 points behind Norris, finished in 17th position as his Red Bull team followed a unique setup.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the only driver to have an incident, though minor, when he rotated at corner four during the early running.
The Japanese lost control over the exit kerbs before spinning across the escape zone, and was fortunate to escape with just a minor contact of the barrier.
The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also lost it, at the conclusion of the session, turning around through the high-speed Mergulho turn before the last turn on to the start-finish straight.
Hamilton ended the session in 19th place, trailing teammate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren drivers were significantly quicker of the remaining drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg's car P3, over half a second behind Piastri's best.
The Aston Martin of the Spanish driver was fourth quickest, with Sauber's Bortoleto ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and Alpine's Pierre Gasly and the Williams of Sainz.
