Norris Leads Piastri in Brazilian Practice

Lando Norris narrowly beat fellow driver and championship contender the Australian for the quickest lap in the final moments of the practice session at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

The British racer, who took the championship lead from Piastri by one point after taking the win in the Mexican Grand Prix a fortnight back, outpaced the Australian by a mere 0.023s.

Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver for most of the session before the sprint shootout due at 18:30 GMT.

Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in realistic title contention, trailing with a 36-point deficit Norris, finished in 17th place as his Red Bull team followed a unique setup.

Verstappen's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was the sole competitor to crash, albeit lightly, when he rotated at Turn Four during the early running.

Tsunoda slid over the exit kerbs before spinning across the escape zone, and was fortunate to avoid just a light touch of the fence.

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton also lost it, at the very end of the practice, rotating twice through the fast downhill corner approaching the final corner on to the main straight.

The veteran ended the session in 19th, just behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.

The McLaren pair were well clear of the remaining drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber third fastest, 0.619 seconds behind Piastri's pace.

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