Lando Norris Edges Out Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice
The British driver has outperformed his teammate at all of the last five grands prix.
The McLaren driver edged out fellow driver and championship contender the Australian for the top spot in the final moments of the practice session at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The British racer, who took the points lead from his teammate by just one point after winning in Mexico City two weeks ago, topped the Melbourne-born driver by 0.023 seconds.
Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver throughout the hour before sprint qualifying scheduled for the evening session.
Max Verstappen, the only other driver in realistic title contention, trailing 36 points behind Norris, was classified in P17 as his Red Bull team opted for a unique setup.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to go off, if briefly, when he spun at the fourth corner during the early running.
Tsunoda lost control over the track edges before spinning across the gravel trap, and was blessed to escape with just a light touch of the barrier.
The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also lost it, at the final moments of the session, rotating twice through the quick descending corner leading to the final bend on to the start-finish straight.
Hamilton finished practice in P19, just behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
Norris and Piastri were far ahead of the other competitors, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber P3, 0.619secs slower than Piastri's best.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was fourth quickest, with the Sauber of Bortoleto ahead of Mercedes' Russell and Alpine's Pierre Gasly and the Williams of Sainz.
