Norris Edges Out Piastri in Brazilian Practice
The British driver has beaten his teammate at each of the last five race weekends.
The McLaren driver narrowly beat team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri for the top spot in the final moments of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The British racer, who seized the championship lead from his teammate by one point after his victory in Mexico City a fortnight back, outpaced the Australian by a mere 0.023s.
Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the leading McLaren for most of the session before sprint qualifying due at the evening session.
Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in the points battle, trailing 36 points behind Norris, ended up in 17th place as his team followed a different programme.
Verstappen's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was the sole competitor to crash, albeit lightly, when he lost control at Turn Four during the early running.
Tsunoda lost control over the exit kerbs before sliding over the escape zone, and was lucky to escape with just a slight brush of the barrier.
Ferrari's the seven-time champion also lost it, at the conclusion of the session, rotating twice through the high-speed Mergulho corner leading to the final corner on to the main straight.
The seven-time champion finished practice in 19th, just behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren pair were well clear of the other competitors, with Nico Hulkenberg's car third fastest, over half a second off Piastri's pace.
Aston Martin's the Spanish driver was fourth quickest, with Sauber's Bortoleto in front of Mercedes' George Russell and the Alpine of Pierre Gasly and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.
