Lando Norris Edges Out Oscar Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice Session
Lando Norris has outperformed his teammate at each of the last five race weekends.
Lando Norris just pipped fellow driver and championship contender the Australian for the top spot in the closing stages of the practice session at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Norris, who seized the title advantage from his teammate by one point after taking the win in Mexico City recently, outpaced the Australian by a mere 0.023s.
Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver throughout the hour before the sprint shootout due at 18:30 GMT.
The Red Bull star, the only other driver in the championship fight, trailing 36 points behind behind Norris, ended up in 17th place as his team opted for a different programme.
His teammate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to go off, albeit lightly, when he spun at corner four early in the session.
The Japanese lost control over the curbs on exit before spinning across the run-off area, and was fortunate to avoid just a light touch of the fence.
Ferrari's the seven-time champion also had a spin, at the final moments of the practice, turning around through the high-speed Mergulho corner before the last turn on to the main straight.
Hamilton wrapped up in 19th, just behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
Norris and Piastri were significantly quicker of the other competitors, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber in third, 0.619 seconds off Piastri's pace.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was fourth quickest, with Sauber's Bortoleto ahead of the Mercedes of George Russell and Alpine's Gasly and the Williams of Sainz.
