Norris Tops Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice

Lando Norris edged out fellow driver and title rival Oscar Piastri for the quickest lap in the dying seconds of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Norris, who seized the points lead from his teammate by one point after winning in Mexico City recently, outpaced the Australian by a mere 0.023s.

Until that point, Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver for most of the session before the sprint shootout due at 6:30 PM GMT.

Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in the championship fight, trailing with a 36-point deficit Norris, was classified in 17th position as his team opted for a alternative strategy.

Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to have an incident, though minor, when he lost control at corner four early in the session.

Tsunoda lost control over the exit kerbs before sliding over the gravel trap, and was fortunate to escape with just a light touch of the fence.

The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also spun, at the conclusion of the session, spinning around through the fast downhill corner leading to the last turn on to the pit straight.

Hamilton wrapped up in 19th place, one place behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.

The McLaren pair were significantly quicker of the other competitors, with Nico Hulkenberg's car third fastest, over half a second slower than the Australian's time.

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