Lando Norris Leads Piastri in Brazilian Practice

McLaren drivers in action

The British driver has outscored his teammate at each of the previous five race weekends.

The McLaren driver narrowly beat team-mate and title rival the Australian for the quickest lap in the closing stages of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Norris, who grabbed the title advantage from Piastri by a single point after taking the win in the Mexican Grand Prix recently, topped the Australian by a tiny margin of 0.023secs.

Before then, Oscar Piastri had been the leading McLaren throughout the hour before sprint qualifying due at 6:30 PM GMT.

The Red Bull star, the sole remaining contender in the championship fight, lying 36 points behind Norris, finished in 17th place as his team opted for a alternative strategy.

His teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the sole competitor to go off, albeit lightly, when he rotated at Turn Four early in the session.

Tsunoda slid over the track edges before sliding over the run-off area, and was fortunate to get away with just a slight brush of the wall.

The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also lost it, at the conclusion of the session, turning around through the fast downhill corner approaching the final corner on to the pit straight.

The seven-time champion ended the session in P19, just behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.

Norris and Piastri were significantly quicker of the remaining drivers, with the German's car in third, 0.619 seconds slower than Piastri's pace.

Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was fourth quickest, with Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto in front of the Mercedes of Russell and Alpine's Pierre Gasly and the Williams of Sainz.

Michelle Beard
Michelle Beard

A seasoned automotive journalist with a passion for classic cars and modern innovations, sharing insights and stories from the road.