🔗 Share this article

Lando Norris just pipped fellow driver and title rival the Australian for the top spot in the dying seconds of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Norris, who took the points lead from his teammate by just one point after his victory in Mexico City a fortnight back, outpaced the Australian by a mere 0.023s.

Until that point, Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair during the running before sprint qualifying set to begin at 6:30 PM GMT.

The Red Bull star, the other racer in the championship fight, lying with a 36-point deficit behind Norris, finished in P17 as his team followed a different programme.

Verstappen's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to crash, if briefly, when he lost control at Turn Four during the early running.

The Japanese slid over the exit kerbs before sliding over the gravel trap, and was blessed to avoid just a light touch of the wall.

Ferrari's the seven-time champion also had a spin, at the very end of the practice, rotating twice through the quick descending Mergulho corner approaching the last turn on to the main straight.

The seven-time champion finished practice in 19th place, one place behind teammate Charles Leclerc.

The McLaren drivers were well clear of the other competitors, with Nico Hulkenberg's car P3, 0.619secs off the Australian's time.

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