Norris Edges Out Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice
The British driver has beaten Oscar Piastri at all of the past five grands prix.
The McLaren driver edged out fellow driver and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the quickest lap in the closing stages of the practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The British racer, who took the championship lead from Piastri by one point after taking the win in Mexico City a fortnight back, beat the Australian by 0.023 seconds.
Before then, Oscar Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair throughout the hour before sprint qualifying set to begin at the evening session.
Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in realistic title contention, sitting with a 36-point deficit behind Norris, finished in 17th position as his team followed a different programme.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to crash, though minor, when he spun at Turn Four early in the session.
The Japanese lost control over the track edges before sliding over the escape zone, and was fortunate to get away with just a slight brush of the fence.
The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also spun, at the very end of the session, turning around through the high-speed Mergulho corner before the final bend on to the start-finish straight.
The veteran finished practice in P19, one place behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren pair were well clear of the other competitors, with Nico Hulkenberg's car P3, over half a second behind Piastri's best.
The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso was fourth fastest, with the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and the Alpine of Gasly and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.
