Lando Norris Leads Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice Session

The McLaren driver edged out fellow driver and championship contender the Australian for the quickest lap in the dying seconds of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

The British racer, who took the title advantage from his teammate by just one point after his victory in the Mexican Grand Prix recently, beat the Melbourne-born driver by a mere 0.023s.

Earlier in the session, Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver throughout the hour before the sprint shootout due at the evening session.

The Red Bull star, the other racer in realistic title contention, sitting with a 36-point deficit Norris, ended up in P17 as his team ran a alternative strategy.

Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to go off, albeit lightly, when he lost control at corner four soon after starting.

The Japanese spun out over the track edges before rotating through the run-off area, and was blessed to escape with just a light touch of the fence.

The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also lost it, at the final moments of the session, turning around through the high-speed Mergulho corner before the last turn on to the main straight.

Hamilton wrapped up in P19, one place behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.

The McLaren pair were well clear of the rest of the field, with Nico Hulkenberg's car third fastest, over half a second slower than Piastri's pace.

The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso was fourth quickest, with Sauber's Bortoleto fifth from Mercedes' Russell and Alpine's Gasly and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.