Norris Leads Piastri in Brazilian Practice Session

Lando Norris just pipped team-mate and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the top spot in the closing stages of practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Norris, who grabbed the championship lead from his teammate by one point after taking the win in the Mexican Grand Prix recently, outpaced the Australian by 0.023 seconds.

Until that point, Piastri had been the leading McLaren throughout the hour before the sprint shootout due at 6:30 PM GMT.

Max Verstappen, the only other driver in the points battle, sitting with a 36-point deficit Norris, finished in 17th place as his team ran a alternative strategy.

His teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to have an incident, albeit lightly, when he lost control at corner four soon after starting.

The Japanese lost control over the curbs on exit before rotating through the escape zone, and was lucky to avoid just a light touch of the fence.

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton also had a spin, at the final moments of the session, rotating twice through the fast downhill Mergulho turn leading to the final bend on to the start-finish straight.

Hamilton finished practice in 19th, trailing team-mate the Monegasque driver.

The McLaren drivers were well clear of the rest of the field, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber third fastest, over half a second off Piastri's pace.

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