Lando Norris Edges Out Piastri in Brazilian Practice

McLaren drivers in action

Lando Norris has outperformed his teammate at each of the previous five race weekends.

The McLaren driver edged out team-mate and championship contender the Australian for the fastest time in the closing stages of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Norris, who took the title advantage from his teammate by one point after winning in the Mexican Grand Prix two weeks ago, outpaced the Melbourne-born driver by 0.023 seconds.

Before then, Oscar Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver throughout the hour before the sprint shootout scheduled for 18:30 GMT.

Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in the championship fight, sitting with a 36-point deficit behind Norris, was classified in 17th place as his team opted for a different programme.

His teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to go off, albeit lightly, when he rotated at the fourth corner during the early running.

The Japanese slid over the curbs on exit before sliding over the run-off area, and was blessed to avoid just a slight brush of the barrier.

Ferrari's the seven-time champion also had a spin, at the conclusion of the practice, turning around through the high-speed corner approaching the final corner on to the start-finish straight.

Hamilton finished practice in 19th, trailing team-mate Charles Leclerc.

Norris and Piastri were far ahead of the rest of the field, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber third fastest, 0.619 seconds slower than the Australian's time.

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

Tanya Fox
Tanya Fox

A seasoned tech journalist and digital strategist with over a decade of experience covering UK innovation and startup ecosystems.