Norris Leads Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice

Lando Norris edged out team-mate and championship contender the Australian for the fastest time in the final moments of practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Norris, who took the title advantage from Piastri by a single point after taking the win in the Mexican Grand Prix a fortnight back, outpaced the Australian by 0.023 seconds.

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

Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in the points battle, lying 36 points behind Norris, was classified in P17 as his team ran a different programme.

His teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the sole competitor to go off, if briefly, when he rotated at the fourth corner early in the session.

The Japanese spun out over the curbs on exit before sliding over the run-off area, and was fortunate to avoid just a slight brush of the fence.

The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also lost it, at the very end of the practice, spinning around through the fast downhill Mergulho turn before the final corner on to the main straight.

The veteran wrapped up in P19, just behind teammate the Monegasque driver.

The McLaren drivers were significantly quicker of the remaining drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber in third, over half a second behind Piastri's pace.

Aston Martin's the Spanish driver was in fourth, with the Sauber of Bortoleto in front of Mercedes' Russell and Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Williams' Carlos Sainz.